


Blacksmith

by SlayQueen16



Category: One Piece
Genre: Blacksmithing, Crossdressing, Discrimination, Dreams, F/M, Failed Romances, Falling In Love, Gender Roles, Genderfluid Character, Housewife Misery, I’m bad at titling, Multi, Multiple Pairings, My First One Piece Fic, Nonbinary Character, Pirates, Sea-longing, Self-Acceptance, Tragic Romance, multiple romances
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-16
Updated: 2021-01-26
Packaged: 2021-03-06 07:55:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 30,409
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25940020
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SlayQueen16/pseuds/SlayQueen16
Summary: Sienna dreams of adventure and becoming a renowned blacksmith. The problem is no one takes her seriously since she already had a reputation as Smoker's housewife on Loguetown, and it's a male-dominated industry. So, she dones the persona of Silas to pass as a man. It's unbelievably freeing for her, and she gets another taste of freedom when the Straw Hats show up...
Relationships: Nami (One Piece)/Original Character(s), Portgas D. Ace/Original Female Character(s), Smoker (One Piece)/Original Female Character(s), Vinsmoke Sanji/Original Female Character(s)
Comments: 12
Kudos: 30





	1. Domestic Bliss

**Author's Note:**

> So… I’ve been thinking of this idea for some time before Yamato was introduced in the One Piece manga, but I think I’ll keep the same energy and idea I had for Sienna/Silas. After all, having more gender queer people just makes the world feel more well-rounded. But, I am aware of the similarities nonetheless, and we'll see what's up with Yamato as the series continues. Oda is full of surprises, and I'm looking forward to it.

She knew her lot in life. She didn't know if she would describe her life as happy per se. The bones of her life were fine: she lived in a decent home in a town with little to no crime with her husband of one year. It was definitely a cut above where she was two years ago. No, it was the meat of it where the issues started appearing. Once her basic needs were satisfied she wished to fulfill her dreams and see her husband more. Yes, she knew the man that she married; he was rough and very career driven but beneath there were very admirable qualities. Otherwise, she wouldn't have married him. But when she would subtly bring up her desire to see him more and dream of being a world famous blacksmith, he would either ignore it or express confusion. He was a very binary thinker, and he couldn't understand why she would be dissatisfied. She had her basic necessities and a husband who visited occasionally. If she had to complete the analogy, she felt like a skeleton left out to dry.

She stood in front of the stove, scrambling the eggs in her frying pan quietly. She heard the lumbering footsteps of her husband, waking up for the day. He passed by and sat at the kitchen table. She frowned and continued scrambling. When the eggs were done, she put them in a plate, grabbed a spoon, and then set it down for him. Then, she sat down next to him.

"I've missed you being here," she said softly, looking at him through her lashes as she fidgeted in her chair.

He merely grunted in acknowledgment as he began to eat his eggs. She slid her hand across the table, placing her small hand on his far larger one. He didn't react, so she continued to stroke her thumb across the back of his hand, looking at him affectionately. She understood he wasn't that affectionate of a man, but she treasured those times they had together.

He left soon after that, having to be at the marine headquarters in a timely fashion. She told him to have a good day, and he returned it. As soon as the door shut, she let out a soft sigh. She didn't have many preconceptions when it came to marriage, but she at least hoped it would be fulfilling. She wanted him to pay attention and not work so many hours. The town was safe; he made sure of that personally. She didn't understand why he was working at the same intensity as when they first arrived.

She slinked away, back to their shared bedroom. She really didn't know what he expected her to do all day. He told her she wouldn't need a job. The house wasn't that big, and it was already clean. They didn't have children or pets. Truly, she was bored.

Or at least, she was before she took up the persona she was getting ready for. She put her hair up in a bun, wrapped a red bandana across her forehead, put on a pair of brown ¾ pants, brown boots, a blue collared shirt that hung down to her calves and halved, a red sash around her hips, and golden bracelets along her arms. Silas. He was her disguise, her boy persona to navigate the LogueTown and pursue her dreams.

She snuck out of her house, locking the door behind her. The neighbors weren't up yet at this ungodly hour thankfully. She walked along, and it felt as if she was invisible. No one cared. They didn't see a young woman or the marine captain's wife. They just saw a random young man on the street, and they didn't look twice at her. It was so relieving.

She approached the local sword shop. It was run by a man shorter than her: Ipponmatsu. She remembered all too clearly approaching him as Sienna:

_"Hi," she said, entering his shop._

_"Miss, are you lost? This is a sword shop."_

_"No, I was wondering if you had—"_

" _Something for your boyfriend?"_

_Annoyed at being interrupted, she said, "No, I—"_

_A disgruntled noise left when he looked up at her properly, throwing her off. His face reddened and a scowl appeared on his face. Had she met him and wronged him before? Surely, she hasn't._

_"You're… you're Captain Smoker's wife!" he said, pointing at her._

_"Yes, I don't see why that—"_

_"Get out! Your husband drove away all my customers!"_

It didn't end well. Obviously. So, she knew the only way to be taken seriously and treated like she has a modicum of respect, she had to present as a man and not be seen as Smoker's wife. And, the second she walked in the door and spouted some knowledge of the craft, she was hired as Silas. Go figure. As Silas, Ipponmatsu didn't make any assumptions that she was there for a lover instead of her own needs. She understood why it was more believable that a young man would be more accepted than a woman in the smithing industry. It wasn't easy. But she liked making things with her hands and taking pride in her own craft. Nothing brought her the same kind of happiness when she crafted a wonderful weapon.

She walked in and grabbed a thick apron, gloves, and mask. Ipponmatsu already started the forge for her. It seemed some of the swords crafted were out of balance. She hadn't made many new swords during her time here. The marines, who shopped here now, didn't need new weapons given how little pirate activity there was. A frequent customer was Tashigi, Smoker's second in command, which set her on edge. She could recognize her as Sienna instead of Silas and report straight back to her husband. It hadn't happened yet thankfully. But the possibility was there.

She looked at Sandai Kitetsu. It was out of balance from the way its previous owner handled it before their death. Ipponmatsu warned her to stay away from the blade, but she wasn't a coward. He hired her to do this job. She was determined to make a name for herself and improve her skills.

She took the blade in her hands much to her boss's fear. She didn't think she believed in the supernatural beyond the devil's fruits, but there seemed to be an energy to it. She placed it against the stone, smashing her small hammer against the blade.

The hours melted away as she continued to work on the blades….

She was walking along the path, ready to go home for lunch, go grocery shopping, and hide her boy clothes for the laundry. She was thinking of all those things as she continued to walk until she bumped into someone so imposing, she was knocked to the ground.

"What the hell do you—"

She looked up and shut her mouth really quickly. He was the last man she wanted to run into as Silas. It didn't help that he was always so intimidating when he dealt with people. Thankfully, as Sienna, he had softened considerably. But, right now, she was Silas, and he held no such affection. So, immediately, she stood and backed away.

"My apologies, sir," she said quickly, making sure it was her man voice, and continued to back up.

His gaze lingered on her face, and she tried her best to keep her cool. Perhaps, the explanation would be cosplay, a fan fare, some costume party for the town. She could recover if he recognizes her, right? _Right_?

"It's fine," he grunted.

Immediately, she left at a quick speed. Terror rushed through her as she ran down the street away from him. Her heart felt like it was about to burst out of her chest. What would happen if he knew? She understood a lot about her husband, but she didn't know what he'd do in this situation. Whenever she brought up the idea of getting a blacksmithing job, he didn't seem to understand why she would want to given what he provides for them. They didn't need the income after all. He was very straightforward and black and white on just about everything in his life: morality, conduct, politics, and unfortunately gender relations.

She made it home, looking around to see if he or anyone else was looking. Her neighbor was definitely the kind of woman to look over the fence and not mind her own business. Bored housewives were a plague that no one could do anything about. It took one to know one, and she was definitely a part of that bored housewife demographic.

She shed her clothes and tossed them into the hamper quickly. She went into the shower, scrubbing the grime from the day off. If she smelled like sweat, metal, and well _man_ it would raise suspicion from her husband. He probably wouldn't think that she pretends to be a man sometimes but that she might be cheating on him. She wouldn't. If anything, she may be too loyal for her own good.

She wore her girl clothes and took several deep breaths until she heard the door creak open. The anxiety spiked once again. She took another deep breath and stepped out of the bathroom to see her husband passing by.

"Hi, honey," she said softly, trying to sound natural.

He grunted, barely glancing as he went to the fridge. He grabbed the leftovers in the fridge and muttered some kind of goodbye before leaving once more. Her shoulders sagged, and she could finally breathe again.

She pulled her hair into a ponytail and went out on the town once more except as Sienna. She needed to get groceries and laundry detergent. The days she went to the store she often passed by that infamous stand now considered a tourist attraction. It was the entire reason Smoker wished to come here; it was to stop all pirates and potential pirates where it began. Gol D. Roger was possibly the most influential man of the age. After all, this era they were in wasn't called The Great Pirate Age for nothing.

"Hey, keep it moving, lady!"

She was startled out of her reverie and looked over at who said it. Immediately, he straightened up and fear crossed his face.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't know you were Sienna, Captain Smoker's wife!"

"It's fine. I'm not—"

He ran away before she could say anything. She wondered if Gol D. Roger, the famous pirate king, had these problems. At least the respect and fear he would've commanded came from his own actions and reputation. No, the fear she generated on this island came from her husband's reputation. It was sad and isolating. She remembered hearing stories of Roger smiling while being executed as if he was proud, fulfilled, and happy with the life he led and held zero regrets in life. It must be nice. If she dropped dead of a heart attack right now, she wouldn't have the same expression.

She wondered vaguely what being a pirate would be like. Would it be freeing? Could she do anything she wished? Conventional rules and laws were out the window as a pirate. She could be whatever and whoever she wished whenever she wished. It sounded nice.

She shook her head. No, why would she think that? Her husband was a marine! She was well provided for, and the town didn't suck. Granted, they walked on eggshells around her, but they weren't terrible. She should be happy. Her life held meaning, correct? She was working on her blacksmithing in secret, so that need and dream should be satisfied at some point. Right? Right.

An uneventful day.

She prepared dinner and sat at the table, watching the candle flicker as she rested her cheek in her hand. He was late. Sometimes, he stayed over at the office when he was particularly busy, but he usually let her know. She wondered when their communication started deteriorating. They've only been married for a year and dated for about six months. She was, of course, the impetus for all the progression in the relationship. Did she need to say something? It was usually her, and this was beginning to bother her.

Before she was about to blow out the candle, the door opened. Her face lit up as she looked over. He looked normal as ever. She gave him a smile as he joined her at the table, giving her an acknowledging nod.

"Did anything exciting happen today, dear?" she asked softly, trying to start a conversation so badly.

"No, just the same old shit," he said curtly between mouthfuls.

"Oh."

Well, that didn't go well.

It seemed she would have to try a different strategy. He seemed more tense than usual and less communicative, so perhaps if they slept together tonight she would have better luck. It's been a little while, and he was more open and relaxed afterwards. It seemed solid.

Later that night after dinner and the dishes were done, she walked out into the living room in her robe. She let one of her sleeves drop past her shoulder.

She tucked her hair behind her ear as she looked up at him uncertainly. "Do you… um, do you want to, you know, tonight?"

Her face felt like it was on fire. Normally, she wasn't so shy and unsure about sex with her husband, but lately things were kind of weird between them. She was hoping he'd be interested, and it would relieve some of the tensions between them. She did adore the cuddle time after they were done. It made her feel close with him.

"No," he gruffed. "Not tonight, Sienna."

She deflated like a balloon.

He didn't… he didn't want her right now. Did he not find her beautiful anymore? She hadn't changed much in the time they've been together except putting on more muscle. Did he not like fit girls? She's never had big titties to begin with, so they weren't a loss from her gaining muscle and working out.

"Wh-why?" she said, trying to keep her voice steady.

He looked up, and she saw his face soften. It seemed he finally realized that he hurt her feelings. He stood, standing tall at his intimidating height and stature. She never grew much in her life, standing at a measly 5'5". Her husband stood over a foot taller than her. She never feared, in knowing him, that he'd hurt her. Yes, he was gruff and took down pirates with ease due to his devil's fruit and sea stone jute, but underneath the hard shell there was a gooey center. So, it confused her as to why he'd been so distant.

"It's been awhile," he said with a slight flush to his cheeks from what she could see from the corner of her eye. "It's been a long day, and I—"

"Never mind, I understand," she said tightly, changing her mind about wanting to know why. "I'm going to bed."

She walked back towards their shared bedroom. It seemed it wasn't a problem that she could solve with physicality. It was naïve to think it would help. It seemed she'd need to try something else. It felt as if she was turning tires, and it felt so—

"Wait, Sienna," he said.

When she turned towards him, he grasped the back of her thighs and lifted her onto his hips with ease. She gasped softly as he walked them back to the bed and dropped her down there. She looked up at his nude body incredulously. She didn't expect him to take the initiative or to have such a determined look on his face. What had gotten into him?

Before she could ask, he got on the bed and grasped her calves, yanking her towards him, leaving her breathless and somewhat confused. She was under him. He grasped the tie at her robe and quickly began to untie it. She didn't have time for anything: reacting properly, no; catching her breath, no; breathing in general, no. She went to grasp him, say something, but he grasped her wrists and pinned them above her head in one massive hand. Her breathing started to elevate in either excitement or anxiety she didn't know.

"Smoker, wha—"

His mouth covered hers and kissed her soundly. It left her dizzy and confused. She squirmed uncomfortably, whimpering underneath him. It felt off, passionless. It felt as if he was doing this as a chore to her, a duty to his wife, rather than out of real desire.

She thrashed hard enough to break the press of his lips and get away from his mouth. She gasped softly for breath.

"Stop," she said with authority and fierceness once her breath was back.

He stilled completely above her. After a moment, he released her wrists and leaned back. She could feel his eyes boring on her, and eventually she turned to face him. He looked confused from what little he emoted, so she sat up despite the height difference that still remained. He needed to understand.

"What's wrong?" he asked.

"You can't make love to me like it's your job. I'd rather not do this at all."

She moved away, pulling the covers over her body. She faced away from him, holding herself tightly to herself. She tried her best to not cry.

…

The next morning, Smoker was already out of the house, probably at work. She was grateful for it because she honestly didn't know what to say. Last night was terrible. She tried to reintroduce some intimacy, but they weren't on the same page.

She entered the bathroom and winced at her appearance. Even though she tried not to cry herself to sleep, she did anyway. Her eyes were red rimmed and the bags underneath were puffy. She went to splash her face with cold water. It helped.

She looked into the mirror again and questioned whether or not she was pretty. She always had. After all, she didn't have the typical body of so many beautiful women especially the marine's wives of similar rank to her husband. They were large chested with impossible waists and no ass. She was practically flat chested, had abs, muscular arms, hips, and a larger than average butt. Her body wasn't the beauty standard, and she accepted that despite the insecurity it caused, but she didn't expect her husband to treat sex like a chore.

He must not find her beautiful anymore.

She got ready for the day, pulling her pink, white tipped hair into a bun to hide the tips. Her hair in its entirety was a dead giveaway. She put on her boy clothes and smiled softly to herself. The female beauty standards didn't matter here. Beauty really didn't matter as much for men, and she was envious of it.

She was working in the shop when someone walked in. She was surprised there was a customer who wasn't a marine. He looked like a pirate given his clothes and the presence he held. It excited her. Maybe, something interesting would happen finally.

"Hi," she said simply, remembering to use her man-voice.

"I want two swords," he said, ignoring Ipponmatsu and going straight to her. "I've got 100,000 beli. What'll that get me?"

It was odd being taken seriously in a male dominated field, but it was one of the reasons she disguised herself. It felt good to be seen for her craft not her gender even if this dumb ass didn't understand how much quality cost.

"Two cursed swords no one wants to touch with a ten foot pole," she said simply.

"Fine, I'll take him," he said in the same tone.

She eyed him for a moment to see if he was kidding. Nope, it seemed he was quite serious. She shrugged. It was his life, and she told him the risk. If he wanted to be dumb, let him be.

"Alright, it's your funeral," she said, handing them to him from her finished rack.

"Wait a minute!" Ipponmatsu shrieked, stamping his foot for being ignored much like a child. "I am the seller here!"

She was going to continue watching amusedly, trying not to laugh at her boss's ridiculousness that was until a familiar face entered the shop. Tashigi. She tried not to swallow as she turned away to continue the metal work she was working on. Hopefully, she wouldn't recognize her.

Well, she wasn't the only one uncomfortable by her presence given she saw the green haired man stiffen considerably. Did he know her as well? Did Tashigi hold some kind of power over him as well?

"Sorry, I'm late for the new arrivals. My boss was extremely angry this morning, and I barely got away."

Ipponmatsu huffed, "Alright, Silas, you can go. And, I'd recommend you go too, Tashigi, but I can't make you."

That was all she needed. She grabbed her stuff and headed out. She walked along the street, trying to clear her head. Did she hear Tashigi correctly? Was Smoker really that mad this morning? If so, it seemed last night affected him. It brought some relief, but she didn't want to deal with that fallout right now. She felt kind of bad for the other marines that they had to deal with it.

She entered her favorite bar. It was practically empty at this hour sans one other person. She slid up on the stool next to him. She ordered her favorite brandy as the patron next to her hummed loudly, kicking his legs back and forth playfully out of the corner of her eye. She turned towards him curiously.

This kid was too young to be in a bar. She could tell by just one look. He looked as if he was in his late teens, and he had the innocence and attitude of an eight year old. He had wide, dark eyes; black, spiky hair; a red vest; and a straw hat.

"Hey," she said, breaking the ice.

"Hey," he returned without much thought.

Her brandy came out, and she took a swig. The burn was comforting, and she enjoyed the light-headedness the strong liquor gave her.

"Aren't you a little young to be in a bar?" she asked evenly, somewhat amused.

"I'm old enough," he said, puffing his chest out.

"Oh, please, are you even old enough to drink, kid?" she teased playfully.

"No, but I can handle it!"

She smiled, entranced by his happy go-lucky personality. He reminded her of a puppy. She looked around the bar mischievously, already knowing they were the only ones there at the moment, before she placed a finger against her lips and gave him a wink. He perked in excitement. It was exactly the reaction she wished for; he truly was childlike.

"Don't tell anyone," she said, handing him the glass of brandy.

He took it without any knowledge of how to drink alcohol and downed it in a gulp. Immediately, his face scrunched, and he began to cough sporadically. She laughed as she gave him a napkin.

He wiped his mouth, and he pushed her playfully. She pushed him back just as playfully.

"You're interesting," he said, laughing and giving her a giant smile.

"I'm glad somebody thinks so," she said.

She took another swig of brandy. She wished to enjoy the company and her alcohol. Suddenly, he grasped her chair, wheeling it around towards him.

"Wanna join my crew?"

"You have a crew?" she said with raised brows.

"Of course I do!" he said. "I'm going to be the new pirate king!"

It took her a moment to process that statement especially given the island he was proclaiming this on. He must be either very dumb, determined, or both to say this where her husband stops all pirates here in their tracks.

"You're serious, aren't you?"

"Yeah. I came here to see the execution platform of the last Pirate King. I just can't find it," he said, pouting.

It felt as if her heart was pounding in her chest. It wasn't out of fear, maybe a little, but from excitement. She craved adventure. She couldn't get it from her life at home where her husband was distant and didn't seem to want to meet her halfway to solve this. Blacksmithing on this boring island helped ease it, but she really needed something more.

"I can show you," she said.

"Really?"

"Of course."

She got up, left some cash, and then headed out with…

"What's your name?"

"Monkey D. Luffy."

Puppy would've been a more appropriate last name. Luffy, though, as a first name, that's kind of cute. It was difficult to see him as a pirate yet his mug did look kind of familiar. Maybe, he's an upcoming pirate and just now gaining popularity. If so, he couldn't be seen with Sienna, but Silas should be fine. She would feel terrible if her husband arrested him because she drew attention to him by being his wife.

Why did it appeal so much? Why did being a pirate sound so thrilling? She thought her rebellious spirit died in her teens. It seemed it wouldn't. She wanted unconventional things. That was probably why. Being a pirate, after all, allowed someone to do whatever they wished. Granted, the risk of being killed or imprisoned were high, but it seemed worth it for so many.

"I'm Silas," she said. "And… what's it like being a pirate?"

"The best thing ever! It's all I wanted as a kid, and I can't wait until I'm pirate king."

Normally, words like that would sour someone for her. It was usually poisoned by arrogance and ego. Luffy didn't possess that. He was just straightforward and lacked tact. It was so innocent and pure.

"Are you sure you don't want to join me?"

"Uh—"

"Ooh, there it is!"

Immediately, he ran up to the stand and climbed it. She had to fight her motherly instinct from flaring, and telling him to get down and be careful. It would be a dead giveaway she was a woman. She just watched with her arms crossed, smirking up at him. He was cheering happily, and it was all good fun.

"MONKEY D. LUFFY!"

Everyone turned to face the voice who yelled that. And who screeched it was a pretty, young woman in a shawl and a cowgirl hat. She was pale with dark hair and eyes. The most notable thing about her was a large, spiked mace draped on her back. Perhaps, she was stronger than she looked to wield that weapon.

"What?" Luffy simply asked.

"You have hurt me. How dare you be so nonchalant," she said dramatically, immediately attracting drooling simps to her.

"I don't know you," he replied.

She whined, ending it on a ridiculous moan to get the simps cheering and losing their minds. Sienna shook her head and laughed incredulously with a grin. Most women didn't take that kind of attention seriously. It was a nice boost of ego, but it would never become anything real.

"You hurt me more. You don't remember me~?"

"No, I don't."

Luffy wasn't motivated by lust unlike the other males. It was refreshing.

"You don't~?"

"Tell me who you are!" he shouted.

"It's me, Alvida," she said with a wild smirk.

"And don't forget about me."

She looked over and saw a pirate clown complete with a red nose. She immediately recognized her in her husband's collection of wanted posters. And, come to think of it, Alvida sounded familiar, but she had dropped a serious amount of weight given the wanted picture Sienna saw. Three pirate captains were here. Damn, her husband would be steaming literally.

Suddenly, Buggy flew up towards Luffy on the stand. He wrestled and locked the surprised boy into the pillory. It happened in a flash that she only had time to gasp in shock.

"Now, for the offensive of trying to tarnish The Great Buggy, you Monkey D. Luffy," he announced while unsheathing his sword, "shall die."

"Wow, I've never seen an execution before," Luffy said casually.

"It's yours, you dumbass!" Buggy shouted.

"What?! Me! No! I don't wanna die! Please forgive me!" Luffy wailed, shouting and thrashing.

There was no way she'd get up there fast enough. She looked around for something, anything. There was a large stone. She picked it up and immediately threw it at Buggy. If she hadn't worked out for these muscles, it would've never reached and bonked that clown on the face.

"Get him, my pirates!" Alvida commanded her sickly sweet voice, pointing at Silas.

Well, shit.

She didn't have a weapon on hand. She'd have to fight hand-to-hand despite the pirates rushing her with swords drawn. She clenched her jaw, hoping Luffy could get away somehow.

One of the pirates attempted to stab her in the face, but she moved away just in time. With his arm outstretched, she grabbed his wrist with one hand and struck a blow with her other hand. The arm immediately broke causing the man to collapse, wailing in pain. It gave way to her stealing his sword. Immediately, upon holding the weapon, she knew it was junk, but it was better than nothing.

"Hold on, Luffy!" she shouted simultaneously with two other people.

She looked over just as she clashed weapons with one of Alvida's pirates. She saw a blond man in a black suit and tie, and the green haired man she met in the weapon shop.

"What are you doing here?" Silas and him said simultaneously again.

She heard a laugh from above and looked up to its source just as she kicked the pirate away from her. Luffy has the biggest grin on his face just as Buggy brought his sword down on the boy's neck. Her face, on the other hand, expressed her shock and horror.

Suddenly, a crack of lightning struck down from the cloudy sky. It struck Buggy, the tallest standing object in the town square. The force of it was so strong that the stand broke underneath them. She was certain they were dead, but no Luffy emerged from the rubble free of the pillory just fine.

"I don't believe in God, but was that Him?" she said incredulously.

More thunder crackled in the background, alerting them to the need to go. Immediately, Luffy ran over and grabbed her arm, pulling her along.

"Come on, Silas!"

She took her arm back and ran alongside him. The four of them were running alongside one another until, well, the green haired man was intercepted by none other than Tashigi. She didn't make eye contact with the sergeant for fear of her recognizing her.

"You, Roronoa Zoro!" Tashigi shouted. "How dare you trick me like that! I will take back that sword!"

A grin spread across Zoro's face, stopping for the sergeant as he said, "Alright, so be it."

They ran on without Zoro. The thrill and the fear in her was something she thought she long eschewed in her life. After all, marrying a high ranking marine made life easy and boring. And speaking of her high ranking marine husband, he stood in front of his big bike glaring them down.


	2. Escape

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m so happy and surprised by the positive reception and followers for this story. Thank you all so much. 🥰

It was the first time her husband looked at her coldly without a trace of affection. There was always a softness reserved for her and other people he was close to even when they first met. God, it felt so long ago when they met….

_ “Miss, it’s going to be fine,” he said gruffly. “You’re safe now.” _

_ She was lying down on her side, half her face on the floor, and arm draped over her the other half of her face. She barely registered his words. Her head was fuzzy, objects were spinning, and her hearing was muffled. She was aware another human being was there, but he was touching or roughly throwing her around. What is this? _

_ “Can you move?” _

_ She moved her arm shakily to see who was asking her that. Their eyes locked, and she saw  _ concern _ there. It was odd. She hadn’t seen eyes like that in months. Was she dreaming? Was this her imagination trying to protect her from the horror. _

_ He reached for her arm, and she flinched, trying to get away. _

_ “I’m going to pick you up to take you to the hospital.” _

_ Hospital… _

_ She peered up hazily, seeing the marine captain coat. It wasn’t a dream. Marines raided the place and were rescuing victims in the slave trade. That explains what felt like a war going on all around her through her dulled senses. _

_ So she let him. _

_ His large hands slipped underneath her. She hissed at the stinging pain. There wasn’t much clothes on her, and normally, she’d be quite uncomfortable, but there was no room for shame right now. He apologized gruffly as he tried in a gentler way. When he got his hands under her, he lifted her easily as if she was a feather. She might as well given how underweight she was. It still made her gasp softly and clutch his jacket with shaking fingers. _

_ “You’re trembling,” he said. _

_ She didn’t answer as she buried her face into his coat and tried to block out everything to cure her sensory overload. _

_ She didn’t realize she passed out until she woke up in the hospital with several tubes in her nose and veins. Another thing she noticed was a jacket around her almost nude body, the same marine jacket from the marine who saved her from that ring. She would have to return it and thank him when she could. Right now, she just wanted to pass out and forget, forget everything. _

_ It took several days of healing in the hospital to be well enough to leave. They gave her basic clothes thankfully. She continued to wear the giant marine coat. It smelled of smoke from a campfire and cigars. It wasn’t an unpleasant combination. She didn’t have to wonder if she’d see him again. He showed up with other marines to gain info about the trafficking ring. She didn’t have much to give, but it seemed enough for them. _

_ After the others left, she said, “Thank you for letting me borrow your jacket.” _

_ She went to take it off to give it back to him, but he placed his hand on top of hers. She looked up to his eyes curiously. When their eyes locked, he immediately averted them. If she was correct, she was sure she saw color in his cheeks. _

_ “You can keep it,” he gruffed, “until you get your normal clothes back.” _

_ “Oh. Thank you,” she said softly. And, she had to swallow her pride to ask, but she asked nonetheless. “Can you walk me home?” _

_ “Yes.” _

_ It was quiet which was fine by her. She didn’t know what to say to him given his exterior. She wasn’t afraid of him. He didn’t intimidate her simply because he wasn’t trying to. _

_ They arrived at her door. Their eyes locked, and she worked up the courage to say: _

_ “Thank you.” _

_ He nodded his head once in acknowledgement as he turned away to walk on. Why was her face growing so warm? Why was her heart beating faster than normal? It had been awhile since she felt attraction for someone. Is that what this is? _

CRASH!

She was thrown out of her thoughts when a cloud smoke smashed into her abdomen. It knocked the wind right out of her. She hissed in pain and fell over. She knew it was useless unless she had a sea stone weapon. His devil’s fruit didn’t allow any damage down to his person. It was why he was so successful.

She got back on her feet just in time to see her husband throw Sanji across the street and Luffy got shoved to the floor and sat on. She ran over and once more she was shoved across the street. She skid across the cobbled street and cried out as her skin was cut up.

Moments passed before she heard, “Sanji, get Silas!”

“Fine.”

Suddenly, she felt an arm slip underneath her stomach and lift her easily. Her face felt hot at the realization that she’s been lifted and carried like a football by a stranger. She noticed Luffy was being held by Zoro in a similar fashion.

She looked around, noticing that rain was beginning to pour and pound down from the sky. She suspected it was going to rain given the air around them, but she didn’t expect it to storm this badly. She had a feeling this wasn’t the worst of it.

When they came to a stop, she stood on her own. She looked up to see two other members of the crew: an oranges haired girl, and a boy with a long nose. They were screaming to get them onto the ship. All of them complied and off they were. No longer were they in LogueTown, sailing away the second they got on the ship. The wind was wild, propelling them forward at a rapid speed.

“Look, there’s the light,” she said, grateful they could see it through the clouds and darkness.

“Is that a lighthouse?” the long nosed boy said.

“It’s a guiding light for the grand line entrance,” the orange haired girl explained. Then, she frowned. “Wait, who are you? Luffy, did you recruit another person?”

Luffy smiled and let out a short laugh. He was unabashed as he gestured to Sienna. The crew stared at her, and she straightened up, putting up her tough boy persona.

“This is Silas.”

“Hi,” she said simply, mustering some of her confidence back.

“Zoro,” the green haired swordsman said.

“Sanji,” the blond said, trying to light a cigarette despite the rain.

“Usopp,” the fearful long nosed boy said.

“Nami,” the orange haired girl said.

They were an interesting group. It was a small crew and a small ship. She wondered how they would fare in the grand line. If she knew her husband as well as she thought she did, he wouldn’t just let them leave just like that. It was going to be a hard fight. It should scare her, but why did that thrill her? She should’ve quelled that long ago.

“Let’s do the ceremony for entering the ocean,” Sanji said, throwing away the cigarette, haven given up on lighting in this rain. She nodded. He put his heel on top of the barrel. “I want to find All Blue.”

Luffy knocked his heel on the barrel too. “I want to be the Pirate King!” he declared.

Zoro was next. “I want to be the best swordsman.”

Nami’s heel smacked onto the barrel and said, “I want to draw a map of the world!”

Usopp was next and declared, “I want to become a brave pirate.”

Now, it was Sienna’s turn. They all looked at her expectantly. Fine, it seemed she could finally voice her dreams. It felt nice. She couldn’t before. People usually just laughed or dismissed her. She wouldn’t let the opportunity pass to say it out loud and be acknowledged.

She slammed her heel onto the barrel, puffing her chest, and shouting with determination, “I wish to be a legendary blacksmith!”

All of them shouted, “Let’s go to the grand line!”

Everyone went inside the kitchen as the rain poured down harshly. She wished she understood what this day would turn into so she would have packed properly for the weather. She would’ve grabbed her blacksmithing tools, clothes, and materials. She would’ve—

“Alright, we may have a problem,” Nami said, slapping the map on the kitchen table. “The entrance to the grand line is a mountain.”

“A mountain? Even if there was a body of water that ran through it, how are we supposed to go  _ up _ the mountain?” she asked.

The last time she was on the grand line, she was a child and barely remembered much of anything. But that sounded like an impossibility. And, she had gotten a brief look at the ship so far, and it was already damaged. She hoped for the crew’s sake, the ship didn’t have any structural damage.

“It’s a magic mountain!” Luffy declared as explanation.

“It might as well be,” she said. “Wait, do you hear rain anymore?”

Nami gasped and ran out of the kitchen immediately. The rest of the crew followed, and they were sitting in the middle of the ocean without any wind, rain, or other weather except the unobscured sun. They were just floating on the calm belt.

“Welp, I guess someone is going to have to row,” Nami said, looking at the boys.

She realized that she was a part of the boys now. It was a strange adjustment, but she can go along with it. Of course, Zoro, the head strong one, challenged her unabashedly.

“Why do we have to row back to the storm? Let’s go through the calm belt to get to the grand line.”

“Bad idea~,” Silas said in a sing-song voice to mock him.

“Why?” Zoro said, turning his irritation towards her.

“That,” she said simply, pointing at the sea monsters that emerged from the ocean.

Everyone except for Silas screamed in terror. They immediately ran to the lower decks to get to the rowers and the rudder up top. Nami and Usopp immediately clung to each other, screaming still. They fled from the calm belt back on course for Reverse Mountain.

She watched as the giant sea monster dove back into the water, only giving a glimpse of its tail before disappearing completely. She forgot how dangerous the sea could be. She’d lived a boring, privileged life for several years in ignorance. Though, the need for excitement wasn’t hindered by it. Quite the opposite in fact.

“Whoa! Is that the magic mountain!?” Luffy exclaimed.

“Well, I’ll be damned. It  _ is _ a magic mountain,” she chuckled drily as she looked over to see the water climbing up the canal through the mountain.

She also noticed that they were on the track up the mountain due to the current underneath The Going Merry. However, it wasn’t a steady current though. The ship rocked violently, heading straight for a column.

Immediately, she ran to the rudder along with Sanji and grasped onto it, trying to keep the ship steady. It was far too strong. They tried as they must, but the rudder broke under the pressure. Everyone balked at that.

“Well, shit.”

She braced herself for impact, closing her eyes tightly. However, it wasn't as hard as she thought it would be. She opened her eyes and saw that Luffy ballooned himself against the column to cushion the blow. He then stretched his arms to grab the next column to cushion the next impact from the ship.

Everyone let out a breath of relief as they finally started climbing reverse mountain up the canal. She smiled as the rest cheered in victory.

It was late now that they were out of danger. Everyone was exhausted, especially Silas. She wasn’t just physically but emotionally drained. She dragged her feet when Luffy showed her where they slept. The hammocks swung in the air and immediately swung down. Without a second thought, she flopped down onto the lower level hammock.

“Oi, that’s my hammock,” she heard Sanji exclaim angrily.

She ignored him as she slept on her stomach with her face covered in the pillow.

_ “I want to be a blacksmith!” Sienna shouted, stamping her tiny foot. _

_ She was eight years old. Her pink, white tipped hair was in messy pigtails, and her clothes and face were covered in dirt. She held a metal rod in her hands that she managed to bend in the fire pit in the backyard. Determination was on her tiny face. _

_ “You know that’s not happening,” her mother said, taking the rod from her daughter with thick gloves to avoid burns. She then picked her up despite the girl thrashing. “You’re going to be a high ranking marine’s wife. We’ve discussed this. He’ll provide for you, and you’ll be safe from those disgusting pirates.” _

_ “I don’t think they’re disgusting,” she pouted. _

_ Her mom frowned at her. _

_ Smoker frowned at her. _

_ “I, uh, I was wondering what you, um, thought about me being a blacksmith?” she asked softly, bumping her pointer fingers together. _

_ “Why? We have plenty of money,” he said. _

_ “It’s not about the money,” she said, looking up into his eyes. _

_ “Then, what is it?” _

_ How could she explain why she wanted something? It was hard to describe her desire and need to create things with her own hands. She wanted to make weapons and other metal works. She wanted to craft, make things with her hands. She wanted to do something that held meaning to her. _

_ Just before she would try to explain herself, he said, “Let’s go home. It’s getting late.” _

_ She deflated. She walked along beside him. She looked over and saw other married couples holding hands. It was sweet and affectionate. She brushed her fingers against his large hands, causing him to flinch, and she withdrew her hand. After a beat, she felt him grasp her hand. She looked up, but he didn’t look her in the eyes. She smiled and flushed nonetheless. _

She woke with a start. 

Guilt creeped inside of her. Yes, she didn’t intentionally leave, but she could’ve said no and refused to be a pirate. She could’ve come clean to her husband that she was cross dressing as a man to keep her actions a secret and be taken seriously in her field. No, the allure of being a pirate called to her, and she took the opportunity to sail away with a sweet kid and his colorful crew. She was a terrible wife and person. She knew that.

She dragged herself out of her hammock. She rubbed her eyes as the boys continued to snore in slumber next to her. Fine, she’ll make everyone breakfast. She was hungry anyway. Her arms stretched above her head as she walked to the kitchen. She noticed dazedly that the fridge was padlocked. Without hesitation or a change of expression, she took a crowbar behind the fridge and broke the lock with ease. Good, now, it was open to her.

She opened the fridge and looked around at the supplies. Hmm, The Straw Hats have eggs, milk, raw bacon strips, a variety of vegetables and fruit, and fish. It’ll work just fine.

She found the frying pan and began scrambling eggs on the stove. Then, on the other burner, she poured the pancake mix she stirred. The sizzling was a familiar sound, and it was somewhat comforting. She could kind of pretend she didn’t just abandon her husband and set out with strangers.

“What are you doing in my kitchen?” she suddenly heard from the cook.

“Making breakfast,” she said. She turned around and saw the irritation breaking through his normal stoicism. Then, she looked around at the mess she’s made from pancakes, eggs, and bacon. Oh…. Right. “I’ll clean it up when I’m done. Don’t be so uptight.”

“Uptight?” he said. “This is  _ my _ kitchen.”

“Wait, isn’t this technically  _ Captain Luffy’s _ kitchen?” she teased.

“I’m the head chef, you—“

“Ooh, head chef? Wait, does that make me your sous-chef?” she continued to pick at the wound that was beginning to fester.

She knew she was being annoying, but he was being annoying as well. He greeted her with hostility after all. The difference between them is she was unbothered and playful, and he was upset and snappy. She knew her attitude and words only added fuel to the fire, but he shouldn’t be so stingy with cooking. She knew he was capable and didn’t have to do anything, but old habits die hard, and she actually liked cooking for herself and others. He truly shouldn’t be  _ that _ upset.

“As if I would let some rookie be my so—” she took a spoonful of her eggs and shoved them into his mouth. She waited with raised brows and a smirk as she took her spoon back. He looked reluctant. “… you’re cooking isn’t complete garbage… but you’re not my sous-chef. Clean this up.”

He left, looking disgruntled with a few backward glances as she tried her best not to burst into laughter. When the door shut, she started laughing openly to herself.

As The Straw Hats ate breakfast, Silas noticed that Sanji was still disgruntled and salty. He was glaring at her as he ate the bacon. She just smirked at him to make him bristle further. It was obvious he was quite territorial and protective of his cooking and cooking space. He clearly didn’t like men either. Jokes on him though.

When they left the kitchen out in the open decks of the ship, it started to take a downward trajectory. They were barreling down the mountain. Excitement blossomed in her chest as Nami and Usopp screamed in terror as the speed and momentum grew.

“Hey, where’s that crowbar?” Silas asked as she looked at the broken rudder.

“Crowbar?” Usopp said confusedly.

“Yeah, I used it to break the padlock,” she said casually.

“You what?!” Sanji said.

“It’s fine. I can repair it,” she said casually with a wave of her hand.

She could feel the seething anger in the crew’s cook. It was easy to make him angry. She understood that to a degree, but she never experienced it truly since her husband didn’t cook or put the dishes away. A hollow pang ran through her at the thought.

“Huh? What padlock?” Luffy asked.

“There’s no padlock. He’s lying.”

Just as she restrained a laugh, Usopp ran over with the crow bar. She walked over and took it. She stuck the straight end in first, connecting it with the wood. It’ll make a more effective rudder for now until she has the tools and material to repair it properly. Usopp, on the other hand, wasn’t too thrilled by it.

“Don’t break Merry any further!” he shrieked.

She didn’t even address him with words or a look. She simply braced herself on the railing much like the other crew members for their downward rush to the bottom of the mountain. As everyone began screaming in terror her and Luffy were screaming in joy. It had been so long since she’d had a thrill. Her life with Smoker was safe and comfortable, but she’d always had a liking for excitement and chaos.

As they grew closer to the bottom of the mountain, they were greeted by a wall of black. Was there just a barrier to murder all who enter the grand line? What the hell?

“Wait, is that a…?” Zoro began.

“Whale?!” Nami shrieked.

Silas looked up and finally saw the round eye near the top of the whale’s face. She laughed incredulously before grabbing the crowbar and tried to pull back effectively to brake. Zoro joined and began to pull as well. She could hear the creaking underneath the pressure. The two of them exchanged a nervous look. She braced for impact. But, it was merely a bump against the whale’s body.

Everyone simultaneously let out a soft sigh of relief. That is until the whale looked down at them with its giant pupil. Then, it opened its mouth and let out a cry, causing them to get sucked in. Well, as far as dumb ways to die, this was pretty interesting as far as they went.

“What do you think?” Zoro said.

They were standing at the head of the ship. Silas and Zoro had their arms crossed over their chests. Sanji had his hands in his pockets as he puffed on a cigarette. Usopp and Nami stood there in awe. No one knew what exactly to say.

“What do  _ I _ think?” Silas asked casually, raising her brows.

“Nevermind what any of us think. We’re swallowed by a whale,” Sanji said, mirroring both their apathetic tones.

“Is this a dream?” Usopp breathed.

“I’d believe that,” Silas said.

“Maybe, that house on the island is an illusion,” Usopp continued.

“Do you believe that’s an illusion?” Silas asked casually, pointing at the squid that emerged from the water.

Nami and Usopp screamed at the top of their lungs and clung to one another. She, however, began to stretch, warming up her joints, preparing to take on the squid despite being weaponless. The other two beside her readied themselves as well. They smirked just like her.

“Where’s Luffy?” Nami whispered frantically.

“He’s— whoa!”

SKEWER

Several harpoons pierced through the giant squid, knocking it down, killing it in an instance. She pouted slightly as Sanji and Zoro relaxed with her. She was hoping to prove her skills and worth to her crew mates. After all, they hadn’t met her before Luffy accepted her as a crew member. They were probably wondering why she was here and saw her as some leech. It was a similar feeling she held when she was with Smoker, sitting home after her minor chores were done. She wanted to prove her worth.

The person who skewered the squid came out, reeling it in by the rope the harpoon was attached to. He was an older gentleman, probably in his fifties. He didn’t look particularly friendly nor did he look especially intimidating either. He plopped down on his lawn chair after he was finished and pulled out his newspaper.

“Hey, man, what’s up?” she shouted casually, realizing that her man-voice in a shout was rather straining.

“Don’t speak to that crazy old man,” Usopp hissed fearfully, tugging at her unmoving arm.

“He doesn’t look crazy. He looks like my old neighbor,” she said dismissively, brushing his hand away.

She wouldn’t look away from the old man who gave her a hard glare. They wouldn’t break eye contact. She knew this was a typically masculine trait, not backing down from a challenge. If she was going to keep up the rouse, she needed to play the part. Plus, it was ridiculous to glare at a stranger whomst he’s just met. Who knows? If she was that old and wanted to live in a shack undisturbed, she’d be mad as well.

“I’m Silas. What’s your name?” she shouted, trying again.

A smile grew on his face. “My name is Claucus. I’m seventy-one, a Pisces, AB blood-type, and I’m a lighthouse keep—”

“I’m gonna kill him,” Zoro hissed.

She rolled her eyes playfully and placed a hand on his shoulder, telling him to calm down. Thankfully, Usopp stepped up to the plate and spoke to the old man.

“What is this place?”

“Are you dumb, deaf, and blind? You’ve been eaten by a whale. There’s the exit,” he said casually, pointing.

Everyone looked over and saw the door sitting there. Odd, still, it wasn’t as odd as the blue sky above them. How did this old man project a sky in a whale’s belly? She was about to ask, but the question died on her tongue. Her desire to know just faded into the wind.

“Alright, let’s go.”

Just before they were to take off the entire stomach started to thrash. She grasped the railing. She looked over at the old man and noticed that it wasn’t an island but a stylized ship made of iron. That made sense. She’d imagine the stomach acid would erode just about anything else.

“It’s made of iron…. Wait, that means Going Merry could dissolve in this if we’re here long enough,” Sanji said.

“What’s going on?!” Usopp shouted.

“This whale smashes his head into the red line,” the old man explained.

“Why?” she asked as Zoro and Sanji asked, “What?”

“There were so many scars on the whale’s head. I assume he’s spent years smashing his head in that mountain,” Nami said, frowning and pouting. “The only reason I can think of why he does it is because he’s sad.”

A sad aura befell the Straw Hats. The thought of a depressed whale, hurting himself was something. However, the violent tremors continued. How were they going to navigate this? She looked over between her crew members and the old man.

“Whoa!” Usopp said, pointing at the old man who dove into the watered down stomach acid. “He could burn down there.”

“Whatever,” Zoro said. “We’ve got to row to the exit.”

Just before they ran to the rows, three people from the ‘sky’ dropped down. One person was familiar: their captain who was screaming as if he was going to die. The other two, on the other hand, weren’t familiar whatsoever. And maybe, Luffy was right to scream like that since he belly flopped onto the water and sank like a rock.

“Well, anyone going to jump in after him?” she asked, somewhat amused as she looked amongst the crew. They didn’t say a word and ignored her statement. “I guess it’s going to be then.”

She shrugged her long, leather overcoat off and dove in. Nami and Usopp were correct about the water not being pure water. It was combined with the stomach acid of the whale. Any prolonged exposure was extremely dangerous. She found Luffy, grabbed him, and pulled him up to surface once more.

“Found him,” she said casually.

She grabbed the back of his vest and threw him over her head with ease. He landed on the deck with a dramatic squeak. She then climbed on top and back onto the ship. Before she approached their captain, she looked at the rest of the crew briefly and saw the shock on Usopp’s and Nami’s faces and the sizing up on Zoro’s and Sanji’s faces. She shrugged and squatted down uncaringly. Normally, as a woman, she wouldn’t be so flippant and open when it came to posture or displays of strength. After all, she would get comments of it not being ladylike, and the pressure of being Smoker’s wife was a little suffocating. Now, no one knew her, and she posed as a man on a pirate ship. It was freeing. No one better embodied that freedom than Luffy.

She poked Luffy’s cheek repeatedly. “Captain?” she questioned flippantly.

He groaned softly.

“Okay, he’s alive,” she said smiling slightly, standing up straight again to look at the rest of them.

“You’re really strong,” Usopp said incredulously.

“I guess,” she shrugged, poking her own bicep. “I could be stronger.”

Suddenly, the violent thrashing stopped, and the whale was calm. Everyone blinked in confusion and looked around.

The two people who fell with Luffy climbed on board. They both held bazookas. Immediately, Sanji was simping for the blue haired girl with the high center ponytail. She eyed them curiously.

“Now’s our chance, Mr. Nine!”

“Yes, let’s destroy the whale from the inside!”

They lifted their bazookas. Without hesitation, she kicked the bazookas away with ease. They flew out of their hands, and Luffy stood and punched both of them in the head, knocking them down.

“Well, that settles that,” she shrugged.

They were on the old man’s island. The two people who wanted to kill an innocent whale were tied together and disarmed. She watched the old man as she sat down with the bottom of her shoes placed together and her arms crossed over her chest. Luffy was busy climbing the palm tree in attempts to get to the fruit, living up to his last name.

“I feel you all should understand this whale,” he began. “He’s the largest whale in the world from the West Blue. His name is Laboon. These two brats want to kill him because his meat can feed an island for two to three years. I won’t let them though. I love Laboon despite the fact that he smashes his head into the red line every chance he gets. He does it because he wants to see his old nakama again. They left him here about fifty years ago because the sea is incredibly dangerous. It’s been fifty years, and he desperately wishes to go back to them. He believes that they’re still alive.”

It was so sad. She couldn’t help but feel for the self-mutilating whale. He just wanted his family back. She understood the pain. For so long, she’d been alone. She found Smoker, but he was distant. She found the Straw Hats, but she’d only known them for a couple of days. Could she consider them a family? Was this temporary? Would she be dragged back to LogueTown by her husband? She didn’t think this through long term. The promise of adventure and living out her dream were so tempting. She kind of liked the crew so far. They were filled with so much personality and definitely one of a kind. She didn’t know what her future held, but she was hopeful.


	3. Laboon and the Fun of Whiskey Peak

The Going Merry was being pulled along by the old man’s boat. It must be nice having a motor, no rowing required for him when he literally lives in a whale’s stomach without wind. The oddity wasn’t lost on her, by the way.

She was sitting on the railing on their ship, kicking her legs back and forth gently since they dangled and didn’t reach the ground. Sometimes, she wished she was tall. Height gave intimidation. There was a reason some of the most powerful people in the world are at least 6’5”. Some reached all the way up to 20 feet tall if the rumors about Whitebeard were true.

She shook her head as she kept up with the conversation. Luffy, like the kid that he was, was leaning over the railing with his head resting on his folded arms and talking to the old man like he was fascinating.

“So, you’re a doctor?” he asked.

“Yes.”

“Do you want to be  _ our _ doctor?” Luffy asked in the same flippant tone.

The old man scoffed and said, “No, I’m too old for that shit. Besides, I’ve been here for damn near fifty years. I’m not leaving Laboon alone.”

She laughed softly to herself. She wished she had living grandparents given the crotchety, angry old man cracked her up. That ship sailed long ago though.

“Laboon is lucky to have you,” Nami said. “I can tell that whale is miserable.”

It left a somber atmosphere amongst them all just as they left the sedated whale’s mouth back into the outside world. It felt great to be in fresh air once more.

She finally was able to get a good look at the whale now. He was huge, of course, but the most prominent feature was the numerous scars on his head from slamming into the rock face for years. The love and longing Laboon must have held for the crew that was here fifty years ago was inspiring, immense, and tragic.

They stopped on the tiny little station in front of the entrance of the grand line. She hopped up easily onto it and took a seat on the rustic table and seats out in the open. She put a boot on the edge of the table and crossed her arms over her chest. 

“Oh look, the two tied up fell off the ship,” Silas said casually, looking over at the empty spot that once held them.

“Oh shit.”

“I wonder if they drowned at sea?” Zoro asked casually.

That comment earned a scowl from Nami and Usopp. The others didn’t care, but Silas laughed shortly to herself. They were funny. She didn’t have any siblings she knew of, but this was probably the closest for her in a long time.

Laboon was beginning to stir from his sedation, and she looked at the whale curiously. She could see the pain in the whale’s eyes. It probably wasn’t just physical (though he did ram his head frequently into the wall), but it was mostly emotional pain. The poor creature was abandoned, and the whale couldn’t accept it.

“Have you tried to explain to Laboon that his friends aren’t coming back? He understands human language right?” Nami asked.

“He won’t listen to me,” the old man said. “I’ve tried to explain it, but he won’t listen.”

She knew the five stages of grief well. It seemed Laboon couldn’t move past the first stage of denial. It was sad. He couldn’t move past it and caused self harm. It reminded her of the music she liked when she was a teen.

In a flash, their captain roared like a wild animal from the forest. It startled everyone as he lunged himself from his sitting position, ripped the mast off the ship and leapt through the air like he weighed nothing. Luffy whacked the whale across the face and then stabbed him with the broken, splintered end. The whale shrieked and thrashed in pain, and him and Luffy looked one another in the eye. Silas wasn’t aware that the captain was feral and possibly insane.

“Stop!” Luffy shouted, standing tall. “It’s a draw!”

The sound Laboon let out was one of confusion, but he stalled, looking directly at Luffy.

“We don’t know who won the fight, so I’ll just have to come back one day and see who’s stronger!” Luffy shouted with a big grin on his face. “We’ll see each other again and have another fun fight!”

A fond grin grew on her face as she watched tears fall down those large, round eyes. So, Luffy wasn’t  _ just _ a violent idiot. He held compassion. It warmed her heart.

In moments, Luffy painted a sloppy Jolly Roger on the whale’s head with his signature straw hat worn by the skull. It was kind of precious in its own way. That was definitely an upgrade from the multitude of scars on that poor whale’s head.

“This is your reminder that we’ll be back,” Luffy said. “So don’t rub it off by banging your head on that rock!”

She hoped he would keep his promise. It would be such a slap in the face to that poor whale if he was abandoned twice. Luffy didn’t seem like he was the deceitful type. Maybe, he was the forgetful type, but she would assume he would keep the promise he made.

She heard sniffling and looked over curiously as to who was that touched. Of course, it was Crocus. It was endearing to see such a crotchety old man express his love for his whale he’d been a caretaker for. He did have a heart.

They were sitting at or around the picnic table as the lighthouse keeper spoke to them. She rested her cheek in her hand. Namely, he was speaking to Nami, their navigator. 

“Log pose? What’s a log pose?” Nami asked.

She couldn’t help herself.

Silas said, “It’s a special compass to navigate the grand line.”

They all looked over to her, and oops, she accidentally drew attention she didn’t really need. Oh well, might as well explain it.

“You know about the grand line?” the old man asked.

“Yeah,” she said simply, casually with a small smile, “And I found this on the two people before they drowned at the bottom of the sea.”

She twirled the log pose on the tip of her finger before twirling it off towards Nami. She caught it, of course. There was an incredulous look on all of them which felt unwarranted.

“What?” she said simply, making sure her man-voice wouldn’t crack.

“You didn’t think this information was worth bringing up?” Nami asked incredulously.

“I thought you all knew,” she said with a shrug of her shoulders. “Who goes to the grand line without a log pose?”

She laughed light heartedly, but they didn’t join in except for Crocus. She gave the old man a smirk for that.

“Can you believe him?” Nami scoffed, pointing her thumb at Silas as she looked at the rest of the Straw Hats.

“I like him. He’s funny,” Luffy said with an amused grin.

“Thank you,” she said, returning the smile sincerely.

“Why do we need a log pose?” Nami asked, bringing the attention back to the topic.

Silas looked at Crocus, and he returned the look. Did he not understand?

“Do you want to take this one, Crocus-san?” she asked. He didn’t answer. “Fine, it’s my turn I suppose. So, the magnetic fields in the grand line are chaotic and ever changing. The log pose records them continuously to tell the navigator where the next island is. Once on the island, you have to wait until the log pose resets and points to the next island. They say the final island on the grand line was only reached by one person, and that would be the pirate king: Gol D. Roger.”

“That must be where One Piece is!” Usopp said with a hopeful, entranced grin.

“That’s what they say. Exciting, isn’t it?” she said with a big grin on her face.

“We’ll be the second pirate crew to do it!” Luffy declared. “I believe in us.”

Nami was admiring the log pose so thoughtfully that it was almost adorable. Sanji was attempting to get her attention with a large platter of fanciful food he made from the kitchen on the Going Merry. The artistry wasn’t unnoticed by her. Hmm, maybe, he was professionally trained. That explained why he was so up his own ass when she was in his kitchen, cooking with his ingredients for everyone. It still made her laugh at his own persnickety attitude about it. But nothing made her laugh more than the unnoticed attempts of flirting by the cook gave to the openly female member of the crew. She didn’t even grace him with a look. It was hilarious.

“I have a beautifully prepared salmon for you, Nami-swan~”

She didn’t acknowledge him. Luffy grabbed the whole giant piece of fish for himself much to Sanji’s ire. They fought like bizarre siblings. She didn’t have siblings, so who was she to say what normal siblings were like. Nonetheless, it was just amusing to watch especially when their captain ate the fish whole, leaving behind only bones.

She watched as Sanji continued to kick Luffy in the head until, well, his kick dislodged a fork into the log pose sitting on Nami’s wrist, shattering it. Well, shit. Now, it was Nami’s ire to be wary of. Without hesitation, she kicked Sanji and Luffy. They, of course, went flying and landed off the island and into the ocean below. Yet again, Silas was laughing softly to herself. The Straw Hats were so funny.

“This is so bad!” Usopp said, freaking out. “Wasn’t that the most important thing?!”

“Crocus-san, what are we going to do? We—”

“Oh calm down,” he groused. “I’m giving you mine for what you and your friends did for Laboon.”

The compassion warmed the young woman’s heart. He had to cover his ooey gooey center with a hard candy shell. That trait reminded her of her husband, and she deflated somewhat. She tried her best not to let it show on her face, but it did put a damper on things. She wondered how he was doing. Did he miss her? She was such a bad wife; she acknowledged that already when she woke up and faced the reality of leaving behind her husband. But he wasn’t the best of husbands either, but that shouldn’t be an excuse. An eye for an eye makes the whole world blind. She still left him behind to join an upcoming crew of pirates.

Sanji, Luffy, Mr. Nine, and Ms. Wednesday suddenly appeared wet with sea water and panting. Their captain was nonplussed per usual. Sanji, however, was focused completely on the blue haired girl with the high center ponytail. The other two looked genuinely terrified and ready to grovel.

“Please,” Mr. Nine, who tried to kill Laboon earlier, said, dropping to his knees next to Ms. Wednesday who was kneeling as well. “We need your help to get to Whiskey Peak.”

“Oh, you’re still alive,” Silas said casually with raised brows. “Aaaaaand, why should we help you?”

She didn’t hold sympathy for them. Yes, they weren’t selfishly looking to kill Laboon. Their island did need food to survive and a giant whale would supply it for a long time, but they still wanted to kill Laboon. That whale is such cutie pie and clearly depressed. How could they go ahead with that plan? There are other ways to supply food for an island after all. 

“Because we’ll die at sea if we don’t have your help,” he said pleadingly.

“They can come,” Luffy said.

“Okay,” Silas said with a shrug, standing up and walking towards the ship. “Bye, Crocus-san, it was nice meeting you.”

She walked near Zoro and poked him with the tip of her boot. He grunted awake from his nap. He was annoyed clearly. She gave him a playful smirk. She didn’t know why she found picking on people so amusing. Maybe, it’s because she hadn’t had the opportunity in a long time.

“We’re setting sail. Let’s go.”

“Fine,” he said, clearly annoyed.

They set sail on the grand line. It didn’t take long for them to come across bad weather. The snow was so high that Luffy and Usopp made snow sculptures. Usopp molded the shape of a beautiful young woman, and Luffy made a simple snowman.

“Pay attention, Silas. I want to see what you’ve got.”

When Zoro moved in looking to attack, she turned around and punched him in the center of the protective gear. He collapsed with his hands on the ground and sucked wind.

“You’re so weak, shitty swordsman. This shrimp of a boy knocked you down. Let me try.”

The boys switched positions except Zoro decided to sit down back against the wall. She could see he was still wincing. She would’ve felt badly, but he asked her to show him what she’s got.

“Don’t hold back,” Sanji said. “As if you can—”

She didn’t let him finish as she kicked him in the center of the protective gear strapped across his stomach. She didn’t go easy on him, so he, of course, fell over. Zoro laughed at Sanji’s expense, and she, Luffy, and Usopp laughed as well.

“It seems my strength training really paid off,” she said playfully.

“I told you he’s funny,” Luffy said, rolling around in the snow.

“Everyone!” Nami shouted. “Turn the ship around 180°!”

She looked over and took off the boxing gloves and headgear off to give Nami her full attention. Did the log pose change that rapidly? She knew they were known for it.

“Why? Did you forget something?” Luffy asked.

Sanji wobbled and removed the boxing gear as well. He was clearly having trouble recovering from their encounter.

“Nami-san wouldn’t forget something,” Sanji said, simping despite his shaky delivery due to his earlier gut kick.

“No, this insane sea changed! Now, turn it 180°!”

Sanji immediately went to the rudder and grabbed it. Silas looked over and casually pointed at the giant block of ice sitting in the ocean casually. The fog was so intense this evening they couldn’t hardly see in front of them until well it was too late.

“There’s an iceberg,” she said simply.

“WHY ARE YOU SO CALM?!” Nami and Usopp yelled at her.

Silas shrugged as they continued to scream and panic and run around. She looked around, trying to figure out where and what to help with. Usopp began to scream about the ship leaking just as they scraped into the iceberg, knocking everyone over. Silas stood up and ran down to the lower decks.

“Silas, I need help with— holy shit!”

She again didn’t let someone finish their sentence before doing something  _ they _ deemed shocking. She had ripped off one of the planks from the boys’ room wall, and put it against the leaking hole. She took the hammer and nail from Usopp’s hand. In seconds, she patched the leak.

“You ripped off part of the wall,” Usopp said incredulously.

“You didn’t have any spare wood,” she said. “We’ll have to repair it when we dock.”

He looked as if he was going to argue, but he just gave up with a soft sigh of exclamation. Another lurch of the ship, and they were thrown sideways once more. They crashed to the floor.

“Usopp! Silas! Get your asses up here and help Sanji!” Nami bellowed.

They did so and ran upstairs to the upper decks. When they arrived she saw Mr. Nine and Ms. Wednesday cackling softly at the kitchen table.

“You call yourself a navigator, and you can’t handle the grand line,” the blue haired woman taunted.

The reaction was immediate. Nami kicked them both in the ass right out of the kitchen.

“Shut up and help, you ingrates! Or else, I’ll throw you into the ocean myself!” she shouted.

Immediately, they apologized and began helping.

Silas laughed softly to herself as she went over to help Sanji. She didn’t want to be the target of Nami’s wrath. Silas was seen as a boy, and the navigator held no compunction in slapping them around.

When she grasped the rudder, it finally began to move in the direction they were trying. It seemed the cook’s upper body wasn’t all that strong. He did look super lean compared to Zoro and herself. She worked hard to get these arm muscles after all. Nonetheless, the rudder moved, and they avoided another collision into an iceberg. They didn’t see it coming. It sent another panic through to Nami, Usopp, Ms. Wednesday, and Mr. Nine.

Just when the Straw Hats and guests didn’t think they could take anymore, they pulled through the thick fog into lovely, sunny, mild weather. All of them collapsed onto the floorboards, feeling simultaneously defeated and victorious. At least, that was how Silas felt.

When she turned her head to look out at the horizon, she saw what looked like weird mountains. Were they bizarre sea rocks? No, she squinted and looked closer. They were cactuses?

“Land ho!” Silas exclaimed in relief as she sat up from the floor board, reenergized.

“Really?” Nami said in relief.

“Yeah.”

Ms. Wednesday and Mr. Nine sat up as well. They moved past the Straw Hats and almost stepped on Usopp in their beeline to get to the rail of the ship. Usopp yelled at them, but he was ignored, of course.

“That’s Whiskey Peak,” Ms. Wednesday said. “We better get going.”

With that, they hopped off the Going Merry and left them in the dust. She blinked incredulously at their previously unforeseen athletic ability, and then she shrugged it off. It was no skin off her back.

“What an odd pair,” she said casually with a shrug as they got closer to the dock.

“Agreed,” Nami said.

Then, Zoro got everyone’s attention by saying, “Be on your guard. This island might not like pirates.”

Oh right, she’s a pirate now. She still hadn’t fully adjusted to being deemed a pirate. That was a whole bag of cats she wasn’t too keen on opening. For so long, she was a marine’s wife. And of course, they villainized pirates as the bane of the World Government’s existence. Occasionally, the higher ranked officers were forced to attend functions where the wives were invited. She heard about the victories and bloviating speeches honoring the arrests they’ve made and goals to lock away more high bountied pirates. It always made her uncomfortable. Not only because the marine wives were so beautiful, tall, and imposing that it made her feel like a feral street cat brought in out of pity, but the way they would talk about their fellow human being was disgusting. It was as if they treated pirates and other lawbreakers like vermin to be exterminated instead of human beings. No one there called it out, and she certainly didn’t feel comfortable enough to do so.

Being a pirate? Is that where life took her? Or would her husband hunt her down and punish her for ‘acting out’? It didn’t unappeal. The adventure and excitement alone already tantalized her. Not to mention, she could meet people along the way that would help her further her skills as a blacksmith. Yes, she felt guilty, but she was also brimming with excitement.

“Silas? Are you coming?”

She shook her head to clear her thoughts and hopped onto the dock. She looked around and saw the welcoming committee in front of them. They were weirdly excited that pirates were here. From what she understood, most islands hated pirates because they inherently brought trouble. However, the last few days were so stressful and difficult, she would accept the welcome and the promise of a relaxing time.

A man in a curled wig resembling a big time judge stepped forward out of the crowd. His face was long. He stood tall, and all of the town’s folk instantaneously respected him given they gave him a wide berth and bowed their heads. He must be the island’s leader.

“Who are these fine people?” he asked, putting on a politician’s smile.

“We're the Straw Hats,” Luffy said, gesturing to her and the others next to her.

She couldn’t help the happiness that blossomed in her chest at the inclusion. It’s been a long time since she’s been a part of a friend group. It felt unbelievably good to be included in a group and recognized. Luffy, whether intentionally or not, uplifted her. It felt good to be called funny, interesting, and included in the crew. She really didn’t realize how much she needed words of affirmation and inclusion until she was given them. It felt good, and she smiled gently to herself.

“Let’s throw them a party,” the mayor said.

The town cheered. Soon enough, they were led to the big town hall. She was shocked by the amount of booze and food offered to them. Wasn’t Whiskey Peak struggling with food? Why would they be so generous to them? Before she could voice her concerns, Luffy went to the buffet table and started inhaling the food there. Well, that was a lost cause. She looked over to Nami, and she was having a drinking contest with a group of girls. So, she looked to Usopp, and he was dancing wildly with a large crowd of townies. Then, she looked at Sanji who was talking and trying to impress a large gaggle of girls who seemed to be into it. Her last hope to discuss this was Zoro, and she couldn’t find him. He wasn’t in this giant town hall. Where was he?

“What’s your name?”

“Silas,” she answered.

“Maybe, we should get you cleaned up. We have a bath in the—”

“No,” she said quickly. She tried to cover up her quick, high pitched answer with a deep clearing of her voice to save the situation.

She couldn’t let them or the Straw Hats know she was female. She wasn’t ready for that. Being seen as a man brought her comfort. She felt free as a man. It gave her an out. No one would recognize her and punish her for being selfish for wanting to set sail and accomplish her dreams. So, no, none of them would ever catch a glimpse of her naked and identify her as female.

“What about some whiskey? We’re known for our whiskey,” the girl insisted with a smile that didn’t affect her eyes.

“I don’t think so,” she said inching away from her.

“Oh come on,” the town girl insisted.

“Uh, I think I’m going to get some air,” she said. “I think one of my friends is missing too.”

She opened the door behind her and stepped out into the open quickly. She took a deep breath and shook her head. The air in there was odd and thick. It distorted her senses and made her feel like garbage. It felt like a weird energy zone she couldn’t quite put into words. She just needed to breathe and expel those weird people’s energy.

She walked along the dirt road, admiring the tall cacti in the distance. She looked around, hoping to find Zoro. Maybe, he was on the ship sleeping. It seemed likely.

“… bounties could buy us some food…. Completely worth it if we just…”

She moved closer curiously, wondering who was speaking and talking about what. She tiptoed and hugged the brick wall of the building. Curiously, she listened in on the mayor talking to Ms. Wednesday and Mr. Nine:

“Baroque Works can’t wait. We and the organization need the money. Once those Straw Hats are passed out, we can turn them in and get that cash from their bounties.”

She was about to run back to the Straw Hats and warn them until a hand wound around her mouth and dragged her backwards….

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter is from Smoker’s perspective. I hope you’ll enjoy it. 😁


	4. Domestic Bliss P2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just wanted to let you all know I’m so pleased with the feedback and interest generated in this fic. It really makes my day. 😁

“You can’t ignore these concerns, Captain,” the admiral said on the den-den mushi.

“I’m not ignoring the concerns,” he barked into the receiver.

“It sounds as if you are. She fits many of the characteristics of what little we know about the woman,” he explained, trying to downplay his request. “If she isn’t who we think she is, I don’t see why we can’t bring her in for questioning.”

“Because she is my wife,” he said angrily, tempted to hang up the den-den mushi and cut communication all together.

He was seething. How dare one of the admirals accuse his wife of being associated with one of the worst pirates operating today? When he found her almost two years ago, he and the other marines busted a sex trafficking ring where she was, in fact, being trafficked. If she truly was associated with a powerful pirate, they wouldn’t have let that happen to Sienna. Also, if she was as closely tied to this damn pirate as they accuse her of, why hasn’t a wanted poster and a bounty been set? Just being associated with dangerous people put a target on people’s back. This was a mistake. It had to be. His wife was  _ not _ aligned with pirates!

“And because she’s your wife, wouldn’t you want to know?”

“I’m not putting her through the marine’s interrogation methods,” he groused. “Good day, Admiral.”

He slammed the den-den mushi down to hang up much to the poor snail’s dismay.

How dare Akainu drop something like that on him especially at the end of the day when he would be seeing his wife soon? That man was a sadist, he swore.

During the ride on his motorbike home, he was stewing in his thoughts and anger. Would they press this issue? He had to believe so. An admiral wouldn’t have called him to discuss it otherwise. They must have really believed Sienna was involved heavily with a pirate who’s name Akainu didn’t disclose. He didn’t even show Smoker the respect of telling him who the damn pirate was, just told him that the bounty exceeded over 100 million berries. It was frustrating and disgusting. Even if she was involved, then she must have been kept a secret from the world and didn’t commit any crimes. She would’ve had a bounty: her name and face would’ve been recognizable everywhere. It wasn’t adding up. He shouldn’t have let his anger get the better of him during that call and asked these goddamn questions.

Smoker didn’t trust the higher ups with her. Many of the marines believed in absolute justice. If it turned out to be true, they wouldn’t forgive her crimes despite the fact that she leads a normal, law abiding life now, married to a fellow marine. Absolute justice didn’t care. It wasn’t a principle he stood by.

He entered their home. He locked the door behind him and kicked off his boots. He headed to their bedroom. She was sleeping due to how late at night it ended up being when he got home. He removed his clothes, leaving himself in just his underwear before slipping into the bed next to her.

He looked at her peaceful, sleeping face, wondering what she could be hiding, dreaming about. She wasn’t a closed off person. She was pretty candid. Any time he asked her about anything, she answered honestly and without hesitation. He couldn’t believe she once aided and abetted a criminal. She didn’t, couldn’t have. He should just forget about it and go to sleep.

She was awake before him. He heard her in the kitchen, frying what smelled like eggs. Sienna was surprisingly not that bad of a cook. He wondered if she had any training before they met given her food has never been bad. He wondered about a lot of things she did before they met….

He dressed for the day and sat down at the table. She sat next to him with two forks and plates of eggs. He immediately dug in. He could feel her eyes on him, and, from the corner of his eyes, he could see her fidgeting. What was wrong?

“I’ve missed you being here,” she told him.

He made a sound of acknowledgment as he continued to eat. Then, he felt her hand on his. He noticed there were callouses he didn’t remember being on her palm and fingers. Her skin was still smooth and warm of course, but the callouses confused him. What was she doing that would cause calluses? She didn’t work. Surely, cleaning wasn’t that arduous.

Once he finished his breakfast, he told her goodbye and left for the day.

Patrolling was boring. His mind wasn’t in it. He couldn’t stop thinking about his wife whomst, in the grand scheme of things, he hasn’t known that long. She was young, in her early twenties, there were only so many things she could’ve done in her past especially when it came to being a lover with someone else. He didn’t ask her about her sexual past given he didn’t feel it mattered. She’s clean, and quite frankly beyond that he didn’t care. It didn’t matter. Now, he wondered if it was with a pirate who was a lover of hers. That mattered given he was a god damn marine.

He stood and headed out, much to the confusion of the others at the base. He needed to cool down before he could do anything of value. He walked along the streets without a single interruption until—

_ Bump _ .

He looked down and saw a short boy, who looked to be in his teens, fall down onto the ground. He didn’t budge, of course. The boy was practically a bean sprout in comparison to him.

“What the hell do you—”

He immediately shut up when he looked up at Smoker. He was about to yell, but the look of absolute terror on the tan boy’s face who ran into him changed his mind. The boy knew the mistake he made.

“My apologies, sir,” he said, backing away from the captain.

“It’s fine.”

The boy scrambled away. It made him pause. Smoker didn’t recognize him as a townie. Perhaps, he’s just moved to LogueTown recently. He didn’t know there were any new ships in the dock recently. Besides, this boy looked and dressed like a pirate. He doubted the kid would set sail on his own when the captain had a pretty strong control over this town. It would be wildly stupid.

He shook his head and walked away.

Was it time for lunch already? He didn’t care. He was hungry, so he was going home for leftovers. He headed home and opened the door. It was unlocked, so she must be home, or she forgot to lock it. Whatever. No one with half a brain would rob his house.

He picked out the tuna casserole she made last night out of the fridge. He just took the whole container and began to dig in.

“Hi, honey,” she said.

He grunted in acknowledgment before leaving the house.

That boy he ran into looked like a pirate. He should investigate him, do a simple background check. He walked back to the base with something to do.

“A pink haired boy who kind of looks like a pirate?” Tashigi questioned. “Are you sure he’s not your wife in drag?”

He didn’t laugh despite his subordinate’s laughter. It wasn’t funny. Granted, he never laughed at anything. Life was too serious for that.

She eventually coughed into her fist to clear her throat and said, “He does sound familiar. I think he’s a new hire at the sword shop as a blacksmith.”

“Hmm,” he acknowledged.

“Did he do something?” she asked.

“No, but I’ll keep an out on him,” Smoker answered.

“Captain, please don’t harass him,” she said.

“I don’t harass people, Tashigi,” he gruffed.

He would like to believe he wasn’t an obsessive type. But his curiosity was gnawing at him. Something about that boy was bothering him. He couldn’t quite place it, but he was sure that pink haired boy wasn’t innocent. Something about him was  _ off _ . He couldn’t quite place it, but he couldn’t shake the feeling. So, he did some research and digging on the boy. And, well, he didn’t find anything. He truly meant  _ nothing _ . There were no housing records or any indication he was staying in a hotel, no arrest records, no photo IDs, or anything. The only thing he found was what Tashigi said about him being a new blacksmith. There was nothing but that on this guy. It was suspicious, highly suspicious….

He came home late. He knew he did. To be fair, he didn’t say he was coming home for dinner, but he also didn’t say he was going to stay late at the base. When he opened the door, he saw the smile light up her face. It was clear she was waiting for him, and a pang of guilt rang hollow in his chest.

He sat down and dug in. Apparently, she was into fish as of late because tonight it was tilapia. It made sense. They were on an island. He saw it all the time in the markets.

“Did anything exciting happen today, dear?”

“No, just the same old shit,” he said offhandedly.

“Oh.”

Dinner was over quickly, uneventfully. He went to the living room to partake in one of his hobbies. Rock stacking cleared his mind and required his focus. That was until he heard her enter the room, standing in front of him. He looked up from the rocks he was stacking on top of one another. He blinked a few times to adjust to her wardrobe change. Instead of her normal clothes, she was wearing a robe. Her eyes were down cast, cheeks pink, and her hands were fidgeting together. He didn’t use the word ‘cute,’ but if he were to use it she would fit the description. The sleeve of her robe dropped down her shoulder purposefully, and he understood her intention.

“Do you… um, do you want to, you know, tonight?”

Did he? He was tired, and he had a lot on his mind. He was having odd feelings about her right now given the questionable intel given to him. He couldn’t get the admiral's words out of his head. They clouded his thoughts and judgement when it came to Sienna. Was it fair? No. Was it how he felt tonight? Yes. He wouldn’t be the best lover tonight. He’d have to decline for both their sakes.

“No, not tonight.”

“Wh-why?”

He heard the pain in her voice and immediately looked up. He was right. She was clearly hurt by his rejection. It wasn’t just disappointment. There was something else there he couldn’t quite put into words or a conclusion.

His cheeks felt warm much to his chagrin as he tried to say something to explain why he wasn’t interested in sex tonight, “It’s been awhile. It’s been a long day, and I—”

“Never mind, I understand,” she said tightly, quickly. “I’m going to bed.”

The look of disappointment and pain on her face struck him immediately as if someone slapped him in the face. It was a brief look on her face because she retreated back towards their bedroom. Immediately, he was up and followed after her. He couldn’t leave it at that.

“Wait, Sienna.”

When she turned, he lifted her by the back of her thighs. He heard the soft gasp from her before her hands grasped his shoulders. He noticed she was a little heavier than the last time. He also noticed she had put on some muscles the last few months if the thighs in his hands were any indication. She looked tough, good.

He walked them to the bedroom and dropped her down onto the bed. He’d give her what she needed. Surely, he would drop this and not think of the lie that the admiral put in his head about his wife if he pushed through this wall he’d put up as of late. There were plenty of pink haired women her age in the world. It wasn’t her.

Determinedly, he climbed on top of their bed and grasped her by her calves to pull her towards him. He heard a soft gasp escape her. He didn’t even bother to look at her face. He was too determined in his single minded goal to get her naked and satisfy her sexually. It would make her happy and help him get past this.

He grasped the tie at her rob and opened it. He looked at her. Her breasts were smaller and perkier than before, and she had abs now. When did that happen? She was never overweight from the time he knew her. In fact, when he pulled her out of that ring a few years ago, she was underweight and under the threat of dying. But now seeing her with muscles and healthy skin brought relief. More prominently, it stirred his arousal seeing her naked and open like this. He grasped her wrists, pinning them to the bed with one hand above her head. 

“Smoker, wha—”

He pressed their lips together, silencing her. He heard a small sound come from her muffled lips and felt her writhe in his hold. It spurred him to get on with it. His racing thoughts were dimming in this new goal. He’d drown it out through sex. It would work.

She thrashed free from his mouth and said breathlessly, panickedly, “Stop.”

He did. He stopped. He completely stilled above her. For the first time since he threw her on the bed, he looked at her face. She out of breath and panic was in her eyes. What did he do? It wasn’t that different from the last time the had sex. He hadn’t tried anything new tonight. It was the same way they’d always done it.

He let go of her wrists and sat up, giving her space. He studied her, waiting for her to catch her breath and regain composure. It took a few moments, but she looked up at him and then sat up slowly.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“You can’t make love to me like it’s your job. I’d rather not do this at all,” she said tightly.

He didn’t know what to say as he watched her pull the covers over her head and turn away from him in their bed. He was perplexed and dumbfounded. He was trying to give her what she asked for, but it seemed he’d only upset her further. He didn’t know what to say to comfort her. He raised his hand, contemplating rubbing her back or shoulder, but he hesitated. He wasn’t in the headspace to give her what she needed, and quite frankly he felt that if he tried he’d make it worse. He put his hand down and decided to sleep on it.

The next day he woke before her. He considered sticking around until she woke too, but he thought better of it. They could both use the space. When he came home this evening, he would need to talk to her. He got dressed and headed out without breakfast, wanting to get this wretched day over with.

Apparently, his bad mood was evident for everyone around him. They were walking on eggshells and didn’t look him in the eye. They gave him a wide berth which was probably for the best. He wasn’t in any mood for anything. He was on edge.

He tried to regain his focus as he began to stack rocks and smoke several cigars at once. It was becoming a hotbox, but the nicotine fogging him was calming. It helped him unclench. He tried to forget about the messy situation he left at home with his wife. She wasn’t a fiery type nor was she antagonistic, yet it felt as if there’s a wall between them. She was reaching out, yet he couldn’t meet her halfway. If that stupid admiral hadn’t planted those poisonous lies, he probably wouldn’t be so on guard. Perhaps, he could be a better husband.

“C-Captain?” one of the marines said cautiously.

He didn’t even spare him a glance or a word of acknowledgment.

“I just received a fax that Monkey D. Luffy is coming. He’s got a 30 million beli bounty,” he swallowed, coughing due to the smoke inhalation.

He stood without a word. 30 million bellies? Fine, he could use a fight to clear his mind. Then, maybe he could regain his composure to talk to Sienna and discuss a few things. He knew he couldn’t and wouldn’t have that conversation in this angered and maritally frustrated state. It would be counterproductive and possibly make things worse.

He headed out, ignoring his babbling underling telling him to be careful. It was pointless. Smoker was looking for a fight. That was that. He would apprehend the pirate, and forget his troubles. That was the plan.

“But Captain—”

“Don’t tell me what to do,” he said with clear authority and intent in his voice.

The underling sobered up and said, “Yes sir!”

He walked along the docks, keeping his eye out for the upcoming pirate. He was ready for this fight. He had some things to get off his chest, and he hadn’t had a good fight in a long time.

He continued to look around for Monkey D. Luffy. It seemed he was an elusive pirate that clearly didn’t care to make himself known. It was getting old. He decided to ride his motorcycle around in search of him. And, it didn’t take that long afterwards to know where the source of the commotion was coming from. Lightning struck down on the highest peak on the island, the execution stand. People screamed and cried about pirates. There.

He would cut them off. He would use this massive storm coming to his advantage. He knew they would be heading for the docks to get off this island.

Lo and behold, he was right. There Monkey D. Luffy was running along the street with three other men he assumed was a part of the crew. He cut them off, bringing his bike to a sideways stop. Upon closer inspection, he saw the boy from the other day standing there with a deer in headlights look on his face. He looked absolutely terrified. So, he was correct: that pink haired boy was up to no good.

“Monkey D. Luffy,” he announced. “You’re not leaving.”

“Gomu gomu no pistol!”

He watched as the boy’s arm stretched out to throw a fist at him. It, of course, went through the puff of smoke that his entire body was made of. The look of shock on their faces was old by now. He’d eaten the smoke-smoke fruit years ago. The uniqueness of his devil’s fruit allowed him to crush criminals pretty effortlessly.

The blond man tried to kick him. He just went through Smoker. The pink haired boy looked to attack, but the captain shoved the boy across the cobbled street with a blast of hard smoke. All that was left was the pirate boy with a 30 million beli bounty on his head.

It was effortless. He simply grabbed the boy’s arm that tried to punch him once more. When the rubber body snapped back to normal form, he slammed the boy to cobbled street. He sat down on his back and shoved his head down with his large hand. The boy grumbled and squirmed like a fish out of water.

“Hmm, 30 million beli, and this all you offer?” he said in his usual detached tone.

With his other hand, he grabbed his sea stone jute from his back. He was about to end the boy; but someone grasped his weapon. He looked over and was shocked by the hooded man standing behind him. That face tattoo on the side of his face was a dead give away. Never would Smoker have expected to see the most wanted man alive in the presence of a marine, saving a rookie pirate that should mean nothing to him. Why was Dragon, the leader of the revolutionaries, here? What was his purpose?

“What are you doing, Dragon?” he asked.

“Making sure he continues his journey,” he said with a near feral smirk underneath that hood.

Then, a burst of lightning struck. It was a blur. All of his senses were scrambled and when regained his bearings, he saw that he was on the other side of LogueTown. The wind and the rain picked up, growing more chaotic as time drummed on. He could hardly see anything except a large sale with a Straw Hat Jolly Roger sailing away from the docks. They’d escaped LogueTown and his grips.

He could feel the scowl growing on his face as his cigars went out from the rain. Since he was stationed at LogueTown, never had a pirate escaped here. They either went to impel down or died during the encounter with him. It was a first and a bruise to his ego and pride.

He heard his fellow marines approach with thundering footsteps. They didn’t say anything which was probably for the best. He was seething.

He didn’t want to think about it, but pirates escaped from here. He had a wife, who that damned Akainu claimed might have been involved with pirates, would like to kidnap. They would either take her back to that damned pirate or hold her for ransom to keep Smoker from harming them. It was disgusting, but he wouldn’t put it past pirates to do that.

“Look for Sienna,” he told his marines behind him.

“But the storm, air, it’s—”

“Look for her!” he shouted.

Immediately, they ran to different sections of the island.

He rushed home to see if Sienna was safe and sound. He threw open the door and called for her. She didn’t answer. He looked around, and he realized she wasn’t there. Panic set in. He tore through their house to find something, anything to give a clue as to where she’d gone.

The only thing out of place he could find was a pair of dirty clothes that weren’t either of theirs. They were clearly meant for a man, and they reeked of sweat and grime. Why would a man’s clothes that weren’t his be in their house? Was she seeing another man? They looked like the clothes of the pink haired boy he ran into and saw with the Straw Hats, and he did leave her alone all day. She could be doing anything  _ or anyone _ .

He saw red.

Would she do that? Their marriage was on the rocks, but it didn’t seem to be in her character to do that. Had it gotten this bad between the two of them? Had he truly been that unaware of her needs? Was she with that man now? He asked his men to search the town for him. If she was with another man right now in this town, he would know soon enough. And just then, one of them came bursting through the door.

“Sir, we can’t find Sienna,” he said. “I’m so sorry, sir. She’s not on this island anymore.”

“What do you mean you  _ can’t find her _ ?”

“We’ve searched every house, shop, restaurant,  _ building _ . She’s not here, sir. We suspect she may have left with one of the pirates, and….”

His sentence died out of fear of Smoker’s wrath as he should. The anger, hurt, and frustration were palpable. Sienna was likely captured by the first crew of pirates that have gotten away since he was stationed here. It had been a long time since he’d felt this level of rage.

“Prepare my ship,” he stated, walking past his subordinate. “I’m chasing down that pirate and getting my wife back.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't know why this was a difficult chapter to write for me. I think it was to accurately depict another chapter's events without leaving something out or making continuity errors. I hope it came out well.


	5. Princess Vivi and Ms. All Sunday

“Damn, Silas,” Zoro laughed casually. “Captured already? You sure that punch wasn’t just dumb luck?”

“A little help,” she exclaimed barely through the hand squeezing her neck from behind, trying desperately to get air.

“I found this thing,” he said casually.

He threw a baseball bat towards her. She caught it. Immediately, a wild thrill ran through her, and she felt near feral with excitement. She knew it was coming through her expression because Zoro was taken aback even through his usual indifference. She disregarded it because she put the bat between her captor’s two arms holding her and rotated the bat hard. His hold broke free, and she went to run, but he grabbed her around her waist and pulled her back into his chest. Annoyed, she smacked him in the leg with her bat. He didn’t budge. She then smacked him in the head, and he was stunned, but he didn’t let go.

A smirk grew on her face as another thug ran over to her. She ran up his torso and kicked him in the head. It gave her the momentum to throw herself between the man holding her’s legs and break the hold he had on her. She knocked him down by giving him a hard charley horse to his calf. She rolled across his back before standing in front of him to smash his head down with her bat. He was out.

When his friend ran forward, she just thought ‘fuck it’ and threw her bat at him. It smashed him in the head as well, knocking him out as well. The bat bounced off the ground, returning to her hand.

A large smile was growing on her face especially when she turned towards Zoro who looked as if he wanted to fight her. Hmm, who knew he was competitive when it came to violence? She wondered who would win.

“Who are these guys?” she asked casually, walking up next to him.

She watched as several more thugs kept running towards them from a distance. Wow, somebody paid big bucks to have them captured.

“Baroque Works,” he said.

“Really? Pirate hunters? That’s so boring,” she said, disappointment lacing her indifferent tone.

“I was a pirate hunter,” he said in the same casual tone.

“I believe that,” she said with a casual shrug and tone.

She could tell it bothered him a little that she so casually dissed him like that. He didn’t say anything, but the micro expressions were there. It mildly amused her.

“Do you want to take them, or are they all mine?” Silas said with a growing smirk.

“Don’t be ridicu— oi, wait for me!”

She picked up several of the smoke bombs those dummies had on them. She threw three up in the air. Quickly, she swung her bat and hit them across the distance between them. They exploded in their faces. She ran over without hesitation and drop kicked the first one she came across.

She stood as one of them ran over to her. She swung her bat at him in a big spin until she was kneeling in front of them, knocking him down. Another came after her, so she jabbed him in the neck with the tip, hearing him gag as she walked him back. She bared her teeth in a feral grin to scare him. It worked. She heard from her right a man draw his gun. She spun around and smashed it out of his hands with a two handed downward swing of her bat. The gun broke. The other man recovered and came at her with a knife, slashing at her face. She ducked and on the backswing got him in the gut. He doubled over and fell to the floor. Her smirk grew even when the guy who was wielding the gun before she broke it, attempted to kick her in the gut. Unlike the other guy, she managed to block it with her bat. Unfortunately, the brunt of it did knock her down.

Silas looked over as Zoro finally decided to join in and cut the man down. She saw and understood what that smirk meant. This was a competition. He saw her as a man, a rival. She didn’t feel like her ego was being challenged, but the idea of jabbing and poking at him in a playful manner sounded fun. To be seen as a man in this context was bizarre but also thrilling. It’s been so long since she’s felt anything remotely like this.

Just as she got she dodged and backed away from another pirate hunter. His leg ended up propped on the side of the building in his attempts to kick her. She raised her bat and smashed his leg, dislocating his knee cap. Then, she slid over to break the other knee cap. The bat, upon impact, shattered to pieces. The man was left wailing and crying on the ground.

“What a piece of garbage,” she said with a frown at the broken baseball bat. “I would’ve made a better one.”

“Look over here, pirate,” Ms. Wednesday said.

She saw the blue haired girl hold a knife to Luffy’s, who was still sleeping, neck. Without a word or a second thought, Silas threw her broken bat at the woman carelessly. It ended up hitting her wrist and knocking the knife across the street. That was easy.

“You think that’s all I have, you brute,” she scoffed. Then, a smirk appeared on her face as she began to sway with her arms raised in the air. “Look at my body.”

Silas didn’t. She did, however, see that Ms. Wednesday began to spray perfume in the air. Immediately, Silas held her breath. She was not going to breathe in poisonous gas if she could help it.

Then, the blue haired girl mounted her giant duck and charged her. Silas merely sidestepped, and off the two went while Ms. Wednesday screamed about how stupid Karoo was being. Silas couldn’t help the small chuckle.

Luffy began to stir. It was clear the perfume irritated his nose because his face was scrunched up. He still wasn’t quite awake yet. That was probably for the best.

Just then, Zoro walked over and sheathed his swords carelessly. And, Silas finally noticed that all the action was over. People were just on the floor groaning in pain and bleeding.

“Oh look that, no more bounty hunters,” she said casually.

A groan from her left made her look over. It was the big wigged mayor who tricked them.

“Oh look, he’s still conscious,” she said in acknowledgment.

“D-don’t patronize me,” he said, clearly angry at his own ineptitude. “I-I have to ask a favor.”

“Didn’t you try to sell us to the government?” she questioned, unimpressed.

“Please, I’ll pay you!” he said desperately, holding onto her pant leg.

Suddenly, out of the window, came Nami with beli signs in her eyes. It seemed she didn’t party as hard as the others. Or perhaps, money motivated her so much it could wake her from a coma. Either way, she was all ears and read for beli in her pocket.

“How much?” Nami asked.

“I don’t care, just save our princess!” the mayor said.

“A princess? Pay us one billion beli,” Nami said with an absolute thrill.

“One bill— are you crazy?!”

“You said she was a princess. Pay it or the deal is off. Then, she’ll fend for herself.”

Silas was almost impressed with Nami’s level of Machiavellianism. The orange haired girl was absolutely ruthless like a pirate usually is. Still, Silas knew the worst in terms of ruthless individuals.

“Fine, just save her!”

“Zoro!” Nami said, turning towards him with a determined look on her face.

“What?” he groused.

“Save that princess,” she said.

“No.”

Silas had to suck in her lips to hide the smile from showing. She knew what was coming. Nami got her way because she knew she could kick these boys’ asses, and they wouldn’t strike back. Not to mention, she was very authoritative to begin with and didn’t allow for that kind of nonsense.

“What?” Nami said tightly.

“No, I’m not that lovesick chef. I’m not doing it,” he said with his arms crossed.

“Have you forgotten that you took out 200% interest rate with me when you borrowed that 100,000 beli?” she said.

“I got the swords for free, and I gave you the money right back,” he said incredulously.

“That means you still owe me 200,000 beli,” she said. “We’ll call it even when I get me one billion beli.”

Silas had to muffle the laughter with her hand when she watched Zoro begrudgingly stomp off to go find the princess. He probably guessed right that it was best not to pick a verbal fight with Nami. Eventually, she sobered up and stopped laughing.

“Wait, if you were awake this entire time, why didn’t you help?” Silas asked Nami simply, not angry or offended.

“I knew you could handle it,” the orange haired girl winked and playfully bumped her in the arm.

“What do you want?” Silas asked in the same tone, straightforward and neutral.

Nami was clearly caught off guard. It seemed the men she’s dealt with took her flirtations at face value. Silas knew what was up. She wasn’t mad at the other woman pulling out the tricks she knew worked. However, the look of confusion was quite funny to watch. It was worth it for Silas.

“I, uh, why would you think I’d want something?” Nami said awkwardly, scratching the back of her head, sticking her tongue out, and winking.

She understood why Nami was successful in gaining favors from men. She knew what her assets were and which charisma she could pull off when she needed to. But, the difference was that Silas didn’t hold any sexual attraction to women. It wouldn’t work on her.

“That’s very cute, but I don't still understand why you’re giving me those doe eyes.”

She saw the eye roll and the dramatic sag in her posture. Then, the orange haired girl straightened up and let out a frustrated sigh. It was quite immature, but then again Silas didn’t know how old the navigator was. She’d guess the younger at about sixteen years old. It would make sense for a beautiful girl to throw a fit when she didn’t get what she wanted. She’d imagined she usually got her way.

“Can you just save the princess and help Zoro? Please,” she said, throwing her hands in the air from incredulity.

“Why didn’t you just say so in the first place?” Silas shrugged, still not upset despite the attitude Nami was giving her.

“Just go!”

Silas left to catch up with Zoro.

Unbeknownst to her, Luffy had awoken. She watched, turning her head to follow his trajectory of running into Zoro and smacking him with his distended belly. The rubber man managed to ram the swordsman into the side of the building, shattering it. And the collateral was a girl who favored the raincoat and umbrella fashion and a man who wore sunglasses in the dark like an asshole.

“How dare you attack these nice people!” Luffy shouted angrily.

“You don’t get it, Luffy. It was—”

Luffy ended up punching Zoro in the face, not letting him finish. Silas watched in astonishment at the open violence between them. Was this a part of what it meant to be a man interacting with another man? Whenever there’s a dispute, should she just solve it with violence amongst her fellow boys she was disguised amongst? It sounded about right.

Zoro seemed to accept it. He simply drew his swords, all three of them, and pulled his durag down over his eyebrows

“Fine, you want to fight? Let’s fight.”

Suddenly, she felt the presence of someone behind her. She was on high alert considering she was almost choked out earlier today. She spun around quickly and kicked whoever was behind her in the gut. Turns out it was the blonde girl in the raincoat. She spat out blood and cursed angrily at Silas.

“That’s my partner, you—”

Another kick but this time it was to his face. He kneeled over, and she performed a cartwheel, kneeing him in the center of his back. He fell down with a cough. She ended up standing on his back before she stepped off without a care as he groaned in pain under her feet.

“You three are monsters,” the princess said, astounded.

Hmm, she never saw herself as a monster with monstrous strength or skills. Most of the time when she fought as a woman, no one acknowledged it or finished the fight for her. Many men wouldn’t fight her either when she presents as a woman. Therefore, she couldn’t really get a reputation as a monster.

“Silas!” Luffy roared.

She looked over just in time to see Luffy rampaging towards her as well. Like before, she sidestepped out of the way. He ended up barreling away before skidding to a stop. She turned to look at him, seeing the rage in his face.

“What did I do?” she asked, dumbfounded.

“You beat up these nice people too!”

“They’re not nice,” she said simply.

“They fed us and—”

“Enough!” Nami shouted, punching Luffy in the head.

Silas winced as a now skinny Luffy fell to the ground, rubbing his scalp. She was then shoved out of the way when Zoro rushed through, looking to finish that fight. Undeterred, she straightened up and brushed the dust off her sleeve.

“Luffy, you’ll— aaargh!”

This time Nami punched Zoro square in the head. Once more, Silas winced. The orange haired girl didn’t play around and didn’t put up with that kind of nonsense.

“Are you the princess?” Nami said with an upbeat tone and smile as if she didn’t just give her fellow crew members brain damage.

Ms. Wednesday hesitated but eventually replied, “Y-yes.”

“We’re hired to help you. Let’s negotiate prices,” Nami said with a wicked smile reserved for a charismatic politician.

After explaining it several times and several different ways, Luffy finally understood the situation. Usopp and Sanji were still out cold from the booze and partying. They were snoring softly on the ground. The chef was mumbling something about Nami, and Usopp seemed to be having a nightmare about giant ants. Interesting. She hoped they would get it faster than their captain.

“… coup… civil war… Alabasta…”

“Wait, I’ve heard of Alabasta,” Silas said offhandedly.

They all looked at her, and oh shit now she had to explain a few things. Maybe, she should do a better job of censoring herself.

“I hear it’s a worn torn kingdom that’s experiencing an unprecedented drought,” she said. “Why would someone want to take over and rule Alabasta unless they love it unconditionally like you do?”

“I don’t know his motivations. I can’t tell you the boss of Baroque Works name,” Vivi said, looking away. “It’s very dangerous and will immediately put a target on your back.”

“I’m not afraid,” Luffy said immediately.

Nami smacked him and said, “You should be.”

“Nami’s right. Crocodile is a very dang— oh shit,” she said, covering her mouth with wide, horrified blue eyes.

Everyone looked at Vivi with a slack jaw. How did she let that slip so easily? Wasn’t she a spy? How did she survive as a secret agent? It was such an easy slip of the tongue. It was crazy.

“ _ How _ are you a spy?” Nami said incredulously, shaking Vivi.

“Did you say Crocodile? As in the Seven Warlord Crocodile with an 80 million beli bounty on his head?” Silas said with raised brows. 

Now, the crew who was awake and Vivi looked over at her. What? Silas thought this was public information. Did they not keep up with basic politics? The newspapers those aggressive pigeons delivered weren’t  _ that _ much to purchase. The warlords allegedly kept the balance between pirates, marines, and the world government. Silas didn’t see how that worked, but perhaps the government just liked dangerous pirates technically under their boot even though they still committed atrocities without consequence. It sounded like a farce to her, but no one asked her.

“What? I keep up with the news,” Silas said casually with a shrug. “Anyway, yes, he’s dangerous, and now he probably knows we know. We’ve got a target on our back.”

“Don’t say that so casually,” Nami whined depressively.

Suddenly, the mayor walked over with a bad drag costume. She was aware that doing drag especially as a woman was difficult. Femininity was difficult to master. And, well, poor Mayor Igaram wasn’t pulling off the Princess Vivi look. Luffy began to laugh despite the seriousness of the situation with Baroque Works was. Maybe five or so years ago, Silas might have laughed, but it hit a little too close to home now.

“Wha…,” Vivi began, horrified.

“I think he’s trying to look like you,” Silas said casually.

“That’s so mean,” Vivi said with her head in her hand.

“Princess, I’m going to be your decoy,” he said. “I swore I would protect you since you were a child. I’m not letting anything happen to you.”

With that, he left the room without so much as letting Vivi object. The princess and all of the Straw Hats sans the sleeping Usopp and Sanji peered out the door. Vivi looked as if she was going to follow suit and stop him, but Silas grasped her by the scruff of her shirt to keep her from leaving. It’s Igaram’s choice, so let him do so.

He waved at them, giving Vivi a small smile. It was clear he was scared, but he was bound by a parental love he held for Vivi. It was rather sweet and admirable.

As he left the dock in his small ship and started heading out for the sea, a large explosion befell him. Once again, everyone was slack jawed but horrified this time. Bits of the ship fell and sunk into the ocean. There was truly nothing left.

“Let’s leave,” Silas said simply.

“Agreed,” everyone said except for a shell shocked Vivi

There was a loud yawn behind everyone and obnoxious long winded groans. They turned around and were met with Usopp and Sanji waking up. They stretched and looked like they had a wonderful nap.

“Nami-swan!” Sanji said obnoxiously with hearts in his eyes. “My dream  _ did _ come true.”

He truly was insatiable. He didn’t know that man just died, but he couldn’t read a room worth a damn. She felt everyone give him a weary look. Immediately, Sanji deflated and reverted to aloof, serious exterior. He picked out a cigarette and lit it to take a long drag. Silas was numb to the smell by now. However, the immediate change in demeanor was a little jarring though.

“What happened?” he said.

“Igaram died, and we’re being hunted by Baroque Works because we know the boss’s name,” she said casually.

He coughed, probably taking a bad puff.

“Seriously? All that happened? It’s not even sun rise,” he said, recovering and using his serious tone he used for men.

“Hmm?” Usopp said sleepily, still stretching.

“Come on, we’re setting sail,” Silas said, tilting her head towards The Going Merry.

She left without another word and boarded their ship. They set sail quickly. Good, this island clearly wasn’t safe. That poor man died almost immediately as Vivi’s decoy. Silas couldn’t help but laugh a little when Sanji and Usopp ran to hop onto the ship.

“I told you we were leaving,” she teased with a short laugh.

The two of them glared at her, and she returned it with a smile. However, when she turned around, her smile dropped. Who was that sitting on the helm? She was head to toe in purple garments. She wore a cowgirl hat, not fully laced up vest, short a-line skirt, and boots. She had black hair with fringe bangs and blue eyes that were filled with a mature, detached mirth. Silas didn’t know who she was, but she was willing to bet she destroyed that ship Igaram was on and killed him. She wasn’t one to mess with.

“Who are you?” Silas asked neutrally.

“That’s Ms. All Sunday,” Vivi said, looking terrified.

“You say that as if I know who that is,” Silas said in the same neutral tone as she looked at Vivi.

“She’s second in command of Baroque Works!”

“Oh… well, damn,” she said simply, crossing her arms over her chest.

Sanji, of course, had hearts in his eyes. He was twirling around and complimenting Ms. All Sunday like the true simp that he was. It seemed he would never find a woman scary or take her as a serious threat. It would be impressive if it wasn’t so ridiculous.

Ms. All Sunday smirked amusedly as she flicked her thumb. What looked like a small hourglass flew towards Nami, and she caught it. Silas, curiously, leaned over and looked over at it unabashedly. The label said ‘Alabasta’. Hmm, interesting. Was it a logue post intended to skip all the way to Alabasta instead of going through those other two islands first? That would be awful nice and convenient. Why would Ms. All Sunday give this to them? Was it a trap, or was she suddenly having a change of heart?

“Why would you give this to us?” Silas asked curiously, looking into those blue eyes. She didn’t find anything there. Ms. All Sunday had an incredible poker face that didn’t reveal a thing.

“What is it?” Luffy asked loudly.

“It’s a log post that takes us straight to Alabasta,” Nami said, fascinated with the hourglass.

“Little Garden and Drum Island are dangerous. If you wish, use that log post that I pulled off of Igaram before his ship sank,” Ms. All Sunday said casually.

Vivi scowled and her teeth clenched. “How could you kill him? Get out of here!”

“Fine, use the log post or don’t. Ultimately, it’s your choice,” she said casually, unaffected by the princess’s anger

Suddenly, Ms. All Sunday disappeared in a flutter of pink rose petals. They looked over and saw her sitting on top of her turtle ship before sailing away without a word. They were all so transfixed that nobody could stop Luffy from grasping the log post straight to Alabasta and smashing it onto the ground. Everyone looked at him incredulously.

“Why?” Silas sighed.

“Only I get to pick our route and adventure!” Luffy said while childishly puffing out his chest.

Nami didn’t hesitate in punching him in the head. All of them winced including Luffy.

“You idiot! Princess Vivi needs to get to Alabasta now!”

“No,  _ I’m _ the Captain!”

“I guess we’re heading to Little Garden,” Silas sighed, folding her hands behind her head as she walked off to go relax somewhere on the ship.

Eventually, everything calmed down once more. Surprisingly, this part of the grand line wasn’t topsy turvy weather and patterns like it was getting to the previous island. It was a relief. She wondered why the grand line was selectively insane and not at other times.

“Is the sea going to be like this for the rest of the trip?” Silas asked with her arms crossed while leaning against the railing.

“I hope so,” Nami said with a sigh.

“I wouldn’t count on it,” Vivi said. “The grand line can’t be predicted.”

Before Silas could say anything, Luffy shouted, “Silas! Get down here!”

Oh, right, she was seen as a man. It seemed she needed to blend in with the other boys if she wanted to keep this up. Alright then, she spared one last look at the girls before turning around and dropping down onto the main deck. She walked over and plopped down in a spot next to them. Both her feet were flat on the ground with her knees up. She rested her arms on her upright knees as she looked at the others. It was a very masculine sitting style; it felt right.

“Need something?” she asked Luffy.

“Silas,” Luffy whined. “I want a fishing pole. Will you make me a fishing pole?”

“Sounds easy. The first thing I’m buying on Little Garden is a forge and whetstone,” she said.

“Yeah, make me a badass sword.”

“You already have three.”

Everyone laughed including the stressed out princess.


	6. Dinosaurs, Giants, and Rivalry

Finding privacy to shower and change clothes was, um, interesting to say the least. Everyone, especially, the boys were pretty tightly knit on this small ship. It didn't bother her on principle. She really liked that everyone just seemed to enjoy each other's company. It was very family-like. Though, the trade off made it difficult to keep secrets. She would like to believe these practical strangers would be cool with someone who had a gender identity that broke from the norms. Pirates, after all, had zero compunction breaking rules, but the possible hatred and sigma weren't what she was prepared for yet. Passing as a man was easier and nicer than as a gender confused person. Also, worse than being gender queer, she was a marine's wife. That would probably be seen as a betrayal amongst the crew given they hunt them down like deer. It was best to keep all of it a secret for now.

She walked along humming. Her hair was wet but she tucked it underneath her shirt to hide the white tips and closed the curtain for the shower.

Speaking of showers, why was male hygiene so bad? Seriously, she found a bottle of three in one for both the skin and hair in the boy's shower and nothing else. Did no one tell them that it feels glorious when you’re clean? She ended up borrowing some of Nami's items. She hoped the navigator wouldn't mind. On the next island, she was going to buy her own stuff to avoid being a complete mooch. Perhaps, the men will take a hint when she put it in the shower.

"Nami-swannnn~" she heard Sanji’s voice. She looked around trying to find where Nami was, but she couldn't be found. "Oh, it's you. Why do you smell like Nami-san?"

How odd that he knew her scent like that. He was a true simp to be dedicated to that level. It was almost impressive.

"Same shampoo?" she shrugged.

"What are you a girl now?" Sanji said.

Silas tried her best to school her features. She laughed uncomfortably, trying to brush it off and come off normal. It wasn't easy. She had to suppress the desire to laugh like a maniac because it truly is a hilarious statement he just made. On a side note, why was smelling nice a womanly thing now? Smelling nice should just be a human thing. It made things a little better.

"Very funny," she said after finishing her controlled laugh.

He gave her an odd look, so she walked to the kitchen, finding this interaction boring and potentially dangerous. That was when he put a hand up and blocked her by the shoulder. She stared at the hand that was a little too close to her chest for her comfort. She had tied down her already small breasts, but he may notice something was odd if he touched her chest. Though, she had an inkling he had never been fortunate enough to touch a woman’s breast.

"Don't touch my kitchen," he said seriously.

She could feel a smirk pulling at her face. She grasped his wrist and took it off her without care or effort, much to his chagrin.

"Why?" she said. "Afraid I might be better than you?"

"Don't be ridici—"

"Then, there's no harm in it. I clean up after myself," she said, walking over to the kitchen once more.

She didn't understand why she liked pissing him off. Maybe, it was because he came at her with hostility, so she felt the need to tease and bother him in retalitation. It was easy and amusing. She had a similar dynamic with Zoro. Although, the swordsman was different, more relaxed and stoic. He had less triggers than the cook. He wasn't totally exempt from it; he did do the jokey-joke competition thing when it came to fighting. That was about it from him. It was one of the only times she saw some fire in his veins. The other boys on the crew weren’t like those two though. Luffy was like a child, and Usopp was a coward. Those two didn’t take the traditional ‘tough guy’ stance, so they didn’t take her bait when she goaded them. It wasn’t fun to pester anyone besides Sanji and Zoro, and Sanji happened to be her favorite.

"Sanji~! Silas~!" Luffy whined loudly suddenly. "Feed me!"

"Luffy likes my cooking," Silas said with a playful smile, knowing it was like rubbing salt in the cook’s wound.

"Luffy is practically a human garbage disposal. I would not pick him as a judge," he said.

"Whatever," she said with her hands folded behind her head.

She walked over to the kitchen. She ignored him. It didn't do much given he tried to kick her from behind. She didn't even have to look and knew it was coming. She sidestepped easily, and she watched amusedly as his heel ended up slamming into the flooring. It splintered and broke around him.

"Usopp is going to be mad~" she said in a sing-songy voice.

Oops, was that too feminine? Did she give herself away? She looked over, and he just continued to mutter angrily to himself, trying to get his foot out. He wasn't paying attention to her. Good. She could feel the tension leave her shoulders.

"Get out," he said with gritted teeth.

"You're getting so mad," she said amusedly.

He then shoved her out and slammed the kitchen door shut in her face. Well damn.

"What happened?" Zoro asked casually.

She looked over and saw him casually resting against one of the posts. His hands were folded behind his head, and he didn't even bother to open his eyes. Drinking and sleeping were probably his favorite hobbies. She wondered how long he's been there.

"He threw a fit because he doesn't like it when I cook," she said amusedly.

"Your cooking ain’t bad," he said.

"Don't tell him that," she said, trying not to laugh. "I think that's why he's mad."

She saw a smirk.

…

Little Garden? She's heard of the island before, but she couldn't remember what was said about it. There were just so many islands that it was so difficult to keep straight every tiny one on the grand line. Was it the snowy one? Was it the desert? Hm, which one was it?

"Land Ho!" Luffy yelled from the figurehead attached to the bow.

Silas looked over and saw it was a rich, green, luscious forest that was impossible to see anything beyond the thick trees. It was beautiful and serene, and it was probably filled with all kinds of nasty, giant bugs with sticky air included. She really didn't remember this island. The unknown was exciting and wonderful. She was craving a little adventure since being on the ship can be a little mundane.

"Maybe, we should wait it out until the log post resets," Nami said nervously.

"A-agreed," Usopp said.

"No, I'm going exploring!" Luffy said immediately.

"By yourself? Don't you want a buddy?" Silas asked.

"Who's gonna buddy with me?!"

Everyone looked around. No one really seemed to want to run around on the mystery island with him. Knowing Luffy, despite it being a short time for her, he wasn't the type for a leisurely walk in the forest, taking in the sights.

"I-I'll go," Vivi said suddenly, raising her hand hesitantly.

"Wow, you're brave," Silas said without a second thought.

"Th-thank you," Vivi blushed, not looking her in the eyes.

Hmm, did Silas flatter her by accident? She didn’t think she was the flirtatious type normally. It didn't mean she couldn't though; clearly, she just did with Vivi. She hadn't needed or wanted to flirt in a long time though. Perhaps, her normal behavior around women while she presented as a man was now interpreted as flirting. Women tended to be more affectionate in general. Wow, she never considered that when she decided to take up this gender presentation. Should she be careful, or should she simply just be herself and not care? It would be kind of mean if she got another woman's hopes up. Perhaps, she should just be cold and detached. Or maybe, being a ladies man who didn’t want to be with ladies would be fun. That concept alone was hilarious enough, she wanted to do it.

"You asshole," she heard the cook mutter to himself not that quietly, "making beautiful Vivi-chan blush."

Silas couldn't help the small smirk. If only that love-cook understood what was  _ really _ going on, then he wouldn't be bothered. Being a ladies man who wasn’t into ladies was sounding even better. Fuck it, she was going to be a flirt and flatter women.

"Can we go?" Luffy whined.

"Yes, Karoo, let's go," Vivi said.

The duck blanched, but he complied and let the princess ride on the saddle attached to his back and follow Luffy's break neck speed across the forest. It looked kind of fun.

"She's a lot braver than I am," Nami said softly.

"You're brave in your own way," Silas said with a soft smile.

Nami scoffed, brushed a piece of her hair behind her ear, and looked away. "I'm not  _ that  _ easy to flatter," she said.

"Ok," she said simply, not affected.

She shrugged, uncrossed her arms, and then hopped down onto the island. She could feel the crew's eyes on her as she stretched, preparing for all kinds of weird things in that thick forest. Then, Zoro landed next to her as well. Was he going to be her hiking buddy? He didn't seem the social type. Was he just bored? Did he tire of sleeping and drinking on the ship?

"Wanna go exploring with me?"

"Might as well," he shrugged.

"You two," Sanji said as he started to light his cigarette, "go hunting. We're low on meat."

"Okay, I guess you're too much of a pussy to do it yourself," Silas said with a growing smirk.

Zoro laughed with her as the cook steamed angrily. Call it pay back for calling her an asshole. He then hopped down in front of the two of them before poking her in the shoulder which just further amused her. Ooh, she must have gotten under his skin. Was he going to fight her?

"I'm not a pussy, you short-stack!" he said angrily.

She supposed she was short for a man, however, for a woman, she was of average height. My how just a change in gender presentation suddenly changes that classification. It was just a little bit funny.

"Oh my god, you're getting so mad," she taunted yet again.

She saw his cigarette break between his teeth as he scowled at her.

"Silas, I'm going to—"

"Whoever has the biggest kill wins," Zoro said, cutting in.

Oh, so it's the 'who's bigger' game amongst men, is it? She didn't expect it to get so phallic that quickly in this male competition, but here it was. It just made her laugh much to the other two's anger and confusion. She didn't know if she would ever want to win beyond seeing them angry. She didn't need the 'who's bigger' question answered, truly. It was quite obvious what the answer was. She just wanted to poke the bear some more and get part of the male experience, so fuck it why not.

"Sounds good, I'm off, gentlemen," she said.

She headed out casually. Her arms stretched behind her head, looking at the forestry and listening to the woodland animals. The air was sticky and warm much like a swamp. It made breathing a little difficult. This place wasn't terrible, but she wouldn't want to be in this climate long-term.

She couldn't help but wonder about the long-term. Did she miss her husband? Yes. Did she like the crew? Also yes. It was strange how quickly they made her feel like she was a part of a family. But was this going to last? She doubted her husband would forgive her. She was being a terrible wife as of late, especially a marine's wife. She highly doubted the other captain's wives hung out with pirates and fought like the rest of them. Would Smoker even accept her back if she chose to be with him again? It wouldn't be the same which was probably for the best. She felt they were both miserable before at least she did. If her marital life was wonderful, she wouldn't have joined the Straw Hats.

What about her identity? What about male pronouns? Should she call herself by he/him, she/her, or they/them? It was bizarre when she thought of gender. For so long, she was a woman and filled a very traditionally feminine role. However, many of her hobbies were traditionally masculine such as blacksmithing, and she liked being seen as a man. She was almost invisible in society and yet people took her seriously. She also liked being and being seen as a woman too. People were sweeter, noticed her but also infantilized or harassed, depending on where she was. Would the best word be 'gender queer'? Queer was still an insult and used as such in certain circles. But she didn't see it as an insult. It was fitting because gender is complicated to her.

_ Snap. _

"Hmm?"

She turned around and saw a small reptile. Confusion hit her. Wasn't those little things extinct for millions of years?

_ Boom! _

The little lizard was stepped on by a giant, three-clawed, leathery foot. Her eyes slowly roved up and saw  _ exactly  _ what shook her and the earth below her. It was tall, scaled, and huge. It was an apex predator with tiny arms and all. It stood at about forty feet tall. The only way that massive head was counterbalanced was with an equally massive tail. The large maw opened and roared loudly, and she closed her eyes at the way it blew the trees. The T-Rex was gorgeous. It was almost a shame to have to put him down, but she wanted to win to upset the boys.

One leap and a well placed kick to the head, and the dinosaur went down. She looked at the large animal, then she grasped it up by its tail before dragging it across the forest floor. Back to the ship they go.

She was humming some tune mindlessly when she felt  _ another  _ disturbance in the forest. A questioning sound left her as she let go of the dinosaur's tail and looked around. Immediately, her eyes came across a strange, white substance creeping towards her. So, she jumped away from it, landing on the tree branch crouched like a cat. Odd. If she was perverted like the cook, she would think it was—

"Get down here, Mister!"

She looked down and blinked at the stranger. He was a man who resembled the shape of a pencil sans the hair shaped into the number three on top of his head formed by a weird substance. Gee, she wondered what his rank was.

"What is that on your head, Mr. Three? Don't tell me it's… you know."

"No, of course not!" he shouted incredulously.

She laughed at his scandalized expression, and she took the advantage of snapping a branch next to her off and throwing it like a javelin. Her eyes blinked as she watched as it was deflected with a solid form of that white substance. Oh, he made that gunk himself. He was a devil's fruit user, hmm? Well shit, she didn't have any sea stone on her. It seemed she'll just have to do her best.

"Nice try," he said and then weaved some signs and shouted. "Candle lock!"

She watched as a candle pillory came at her before jumping out of the tree. She landed on the ground across from him and rolled her shoulders to prepare for the fight. She wasn't going to let that wax touch her. It just spelled bad news.

"I already have your friends. If you so much as— what the hell?!"

During his little sentence, she ripped off a massive branch from the tree and went to flatten him with it like a fly by a fly swatter. When she did indeed flatten him, all that was left was a white splat. She walked over for a closer inspection. She watched it for a few moments before shrugging and leaving. She grasped the T-Rex's tail and dragged him back to the ship.

"Odd," she whispered to herself.

When she returned to the ship, she noticed that either Sanji or Zoro returned with their hunt. A smirk grew. Hers was more impressive.

She hopped up and stood on the deck or The Going Merry. She looked around and saw the back of Sanji's blond hair. It seemed to notice her. A mischievous idea came to mind. She raised her hands up to her chest with her fingers pointed at the ground and with exaggerated, slow steps she tiptoed over to Sanji. She was holding back her giggles so hard that she had to bite her lip and her body was shaking. When she was right behind him, she raised herself to her tiptoes right beside his ears and…

"Boo."

He nearly jumped out of his skin and off the ship. She didn't have to hold back the almost hysterical laughter now. Even though he was angry, she kept laughing, seeing the tears blot her eye line.

"Silas, you son of a bitch!" he growled.

She saw him trying to kick her, but she sidestepped sloppily. He was too angry to fight properly, and she was too pickled to take it seriously and nearly fell off the ship. Thankfully, he didn't try it again, having recovered some of his composure. She wiped her eyes.

"Where's the rest of the crew?" she asked casually as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Hell if I know," he said in his indifferent tone, lighting a cigarette.

It was such a contrast from his simp mode. He was cold and tried to act 'cool' when it didn't involve women he deemed beautiful. It seemed like a front because he sure got pissed whenever it came to cooking or Nami and Vivi being flattered by Silas. It was rather hilarious actually. She didn’t know  _ why _ she felt like picking on him much like a sibling would. Maybe, it was because she didn’t have siblings, and he made it easy. 

"I'm going to look for them," she said, sitting on the rail, facing the island. "One of my hallucinations told me they're in danger… or, well,  _ tried _ to tell me before I smacked him with a tree."

"What?" she heard the incredulity in his voice, but she didn't see his face.

"See ya."

She hopped down and began to casually walk around the island, looking around to try and find them. Was three-man a hallucination? She hoped so. That meant that her friends would be okay, but it also meant she was losing it a little. She felt some prickles of worry, but she had trouble bringing herself to care about that.

She came across a giant's face and an incredulous sound escaped her. There were dinosaurs  _ and  _ giants on this island? There was no mistaking the man passed out, decked out in armor was indeed a giant. She was going to examine him closer, perhaps touch him to see if he's real, but the giant startled awake and thus startled her for a moment.

"Who are you? What are- oh, it's a little person," he said.

Again, her height was brought up today. Except, in this case, it was appropriate. Compared to a giant who stood well over seventy feet tall, she was a little person. Interesting possible hallucination of hers.

"Wait, are you real?"

"Huh?"

"Sorry, I'm off my meds, and one of you already melted in front of me today," she said straightforwardly. "I might be bugging right now."

"No, I'm real," he croaked.

His hand moved towards her and she blinked as just one touch from his finger caused her to topple over. Well, he wasn't a hallucination that's for sure.

"Oh, you  _ are  _ real," she said, standing once more as she really looked at him. "What happened to you?"

"My hundred year battle was decided. I lost," he said with tears in his eyes.

"A hundred years," she said softly to herself as she walked over to his weapon. "It seems your blade's dulled a bit. You don't have a whetstone, do you?"

"No, maybe, that's why I lost."

Well, damn, she's really not finding a whetstone or forge on this island. It was quite primitive without a single person in the blacksmithing industry. She longed to make actual weaponry. Broken trees wouldn't suffice for a replacement for long if she was going to take on Baroque Works with her crew.

"Are you a blacksmith?" he asked.

"How'd you know?" she asked curiously.

"You've got the calluses on those tiny hands of yours."

She smiled and decided to take a seat across from his face with her legs crossed and her hands on her knees. Rarely did she meet neat people, especially giants who've fought for a hundred years and immediately recognized her as a blacksmith. He seemed like an interesting conversationalist. Might as well indulge.

"I'm Silas. What's your name?"

"Dorry," he said, coughing.

"Are you okay?" she asked. "I have some willow bark. It's good for pain."

"I doubt it's large enough to mean anything," he said.

"It's better than nothing," she shrugged.

She fished out of one of her pockets and tossed it towards his mouth. It landed in there, and he began to chew the chunk of willow bark she had on her. She saw his face pinch, and yeah, it was bitter. It worked though.

"Why and who have you been fighting for the past one hundred years?" she asked curiously.

"I've been fighting my best friend—"

"Best friend? What the hell happened between you two?"

"I don't remember what started it, but it's about honor. To be a citizen of Elbaf is to hold the honor of Elbaf," he said. "No one has ever won until Brogy won today. I guess… it's over."

Elbaf? Why did that sound familiar? Elbaf, giants, armor… oh shit! It's the nation famed for its army and exceptional weaponry and armor!

"Elbaf? They're known for their exceptional steel! I would  _ very  _ much like to go there!" she said, unable to hide her excitement.

The look on his face told her, he noticed something was up with her voice. She tried to make her most manly posture and voice to compensate for her high excited voice.

"Elbaf is a place. What's that got to do with honor?" Silas asked, deepening her voice and trying her best to look serious.

"Elbaf is a way of life. You've never fought on behalf of your honor or someone else's, young man?" he asked.

A beat.

"No."

"You're still a teenager. You'll understand soon," he smiled with a fond smile that resembled a grandpa or a mentor.

She supposed it made sense that when many women wish to look like men they end up looking like a boy. She didn't have a man's strong jaw, strong chin, stubble, or a thick neck. She didn't know if she wanted that in particular, but she enjoyed having upper arm strength and abs which was usually associated with men. Why was gender so complicated for her? Her desires conflicted.

"Is the willow bark working?" she asked.

Another beat.

"Yes."

She watched his face as he slowly rose to a sitting position that mirrored hers. She smiled at him gently.

"I've lost my friends," she said. "Will you help me find them?"

"Makes sense. I've lost mine too."

Her smile widened. And before she knew it, she was standing in the palm of a friendly giant with cool armor and weapons. She never thought she would ever be adventuring like this in her life, and she couldn't help the elated laugh she let out. Finally, she was having some fun.

X

"Captain Smoker! Captain Smoker! Cap—"

"What?!" he barked.

Even he knew he was being more intense than he usually was. His subordinates were cowering a lot more than usual. They also held their noses more and were terrified to put a plate of food in front of him. They should. They did laundry and cooked like shit. Gods, when was the last time he ate something Sienna didn't make?  _ Years  _ ? Her cooking was far better than anything the navy chef ever made.

"We just intercepted a den-den mushi message," Tashigi said cautiously.

"Is it something to do with Sienna or Straw Hat?" he said angrily. "Otherwise, I don't care."

"Yes, it's about Straw Hat."

He stood so quickly that the chair knocked back behind him. He marched over, nearly knocking into his subordinate. She gasped and moved out of his tunnel vision directly.

One of the marines had the black detection den-den attached to his wrist. Smoker watched, waiting for the static to pass from the transmission. He could feel the tension on his brow as he glared at the den-den, waiting for the piece of crap to give them intel.

"Zzzzz… Princess Vivi and pirate kids… zzzzz… Mr. Zero… zzzzz… order by mail… zzzz."

Princess Vivi? Pirate kids? Mr. Zero? Order by mail? What did that all have to do with one another? He collapsed into the captain's chair and continued to smoke his cigars to think on this. Vivi is the princess of Alabasta, the desert kingdom facing civil war. The pirate kids were obvious, and he wondered if they and Princess Vivi had teamed up. Now, who was this 'Mr. Zero', and who was sending orders by mail? Was it Mr. Zero? It was clearly a code name, and it was surely connected to this 'Mr. Eleven' he captured on the grand line while looking for Sienna.

Where would he find Sienna and those damn Straw Hats? It seemed Alabasta would be the best bet. That's where Princess Vivi would most likely go.

"Contact the marine base and get me an eternal log post for Alabasta," he ordered.

"Yes sir!"

He hoped Sienna was alright. Who knows what those pirates would do to a marine's wife?


	7. Leaving Little Garden and Illness Strikes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m so happy with the response this story is getting. I know One Piece isn’t that popular in the west compared to Japan where there are theme park attractions of the characters and ships. I blame the 4kids dub being many weebs first introduction to the series, and I think people are now intimidated by the size of it to try and get into it. But reading it never really feels like a chore despite there being a thousand chapters out now. Even the arcs/storylines that aren’t as good as the others, are a cut above mediocre shonen manga that’s out there. There’s always something I like, and the structure/setting/themes are always different. However, the smaller fan base in English speaking circles has created this vibrant, tight-knit fandom that kind of reminds me of the nakama philosophy within the manga. It’s kind of beautiful.

"Brogy!"

Silas watched the large grin grow on the giant's face who was carrying her in his flat palm. She held onto one of his fingers as he ran over in leaping bounds towards the other giant. She smiled for him, feeling his infectious elation. She hopped down just as Dorry brought Brogy into a large embrace. She steadied herself from the tall jump.

"Oof, what a ride!" she said dizzily.

She looked over at the crew. It looked like they just went through a hell of a fight. Everyone was bruised and battered. Nami and Luffy were missing their tops for some reason. Vivi looked crushed and had her face buried in her hands. What the hell happened? She didn't feel like they were separated  _ that _ long.

"Silas! We're having a rice cracker party!" Luffy shouted.

"But, there's like  _ three _ left," she said simply.

"Oh. Really?"

She smiled crookedly, affectionately at him as she shook her head. She turned towards the two girls again and walked closer to speak with them better. Without a second thought, she shrugged off her coat and placed it on Nami's shoulders. She doubted that the navigator was embarrassed about being so exposed, but no one knows for sure and it was just a nice thing to do. And yes, she supposed she was committing to the ladies man thing. Besides, Dorry had her thinking about honor since their conversation and how it relates to manhood. She might as well try it. Why not be the kind of man she liked as a woman? Set an example for others and like herself a little more.

“Thank you,” she said, looking astonished.

“No problem.”

"Vivi-chwannnn, Nami-swaaaaan~" she heard Sanji call. Then, she heard him growl angrily. "Silas! How dare you give Nami-san your—"

"Enough!" Nami said, halting him in his tracks. "We need to talk about what we're going to do."

"Why? What's wrong?" Silas asked.

"The log post isn't going to reset until a hundred years," Vivi said, very upset and sad.

Silas felt herself cringe. That's insane, but that’s the grand line for you. It felt like a venus fly trap, hiding in plain sight, ready to kill whoever dares to venture. It was exciting, but she didn't want to spend a hundred years on one island. That sucked.

"But I have an eternal post to Alabasta," Sanji said simply, raising what looked like an hourglass that had 'Alabasta' etched on the bottom.

She saw that the crew looked at him incredulously with a slack jaw. She didn't feel  _ that _ shocked. After all, on her adventure today she met tyrannosaurus rex and a lovely giant from Elbaf. It wasn't that shocking for her that he found something useful like that. However, it did make her curious as to what he did when they separated from the ship. Who did he steal it from? Baroque Works?

After the initial shock, Vivi ran over and hugged Sanji tightly. She was sobbing in relief and thanking him profusely, and the dork was absolutely pleased with hearts in his eyes and all. It was kind of sweet actually. She couldn't help the small smile growing. She didn't hate the cook after all. Yeah, she picked on him because he got so mad with her for encroaching on his territory, but she didn’t hate him.

"Yeah, let's have a rice cracker party!" Luffy shouted happily.

"You ate them all," Silas told him with the same simple tone.

"Oh. I did?"

"Yeah."

"Besides, we've still got our competition," Zoro said.

Silas startled slightly, and then she turned around to face him. When did he get here? Has he been here the whole time? How did she not notice? She must have been so distracted.

"When did you get here?" she asked.

"I've been here the whole time," he said.

"Oh… okay."

"Come on, let's go. Baroque Works may think we're dead, but we've got to get to Alabasta for Vivi," Nami said, clapping her hands together.

"Wait, I want to say bye," Silas interrupted quickly.

Nami sighed irritably, but Silas turned towards Dorry and Brogy. She specifically looked at Dorry with a growing smile.

"It was nice meeting you, Dorry," she said. "I…"

He leaned forward in his sitting positions, and he pulled off a piece of armor from his shoulder. She blinked at him confusedly as he handed her the piece of metal. It was so large that she couldn't hold it normally. She propped it up on the ground.

"I hope for the best for your journey, young man," he said. "Call it old age, but I can't help but support the youth."

Was she a blubbering baby now? Tears were blotting at her eyeline at the statement and the gift. She hugged his face as best she could. Yeah, he was a stranger, and it wasn’t typically a thing shared between men who weren’t related or really close, but she couldn’t help it. He helped click something within her about masculinity that she was having trouble understanding, gave her a gift, and believed in her.

"Thank you!"

"Alright, alright," he said, picking her up by the back of her shirt easily and plopping her down and away from his face. It's been a long time since she's felt like a doll. "You're welcome, kid. I hope you win that competition."

When they were heading back to the ship, she held the shoulder armor above her head. The muscles in her face were aching she was grinning so big and so much. When she arrived back at the ship, the boys were arguing over 'who's bigger' of course.

"Who killed the T. Rex?!" Sanji demanded.

"It wasn't me!" Zoro shouted.

"It was me," she said, tossing the steel plate up and onto the ship. She heard Usopp yelp in terror. "Sorry, did I get you?"

"If I got me, you'd have killed me!" Usopp yelled back.

She laughed quietly to herself as she noticed her competitor's eyes on her, glaring. She hopped up and stood on top of her dead dinosaur between the two of them. The anger from her two crew mates was palpable, and it just grew at her casual indifference.

"Yep, he's mine, so that means I win," she said playfully, wanting to get even more under their skin for the fun of it. "It was fun, boys. Next time you might win."

They both attempted to strike her, but she leapt out of the way and onto the ship's railing, turning to face them and laugh at their anger. Why was this fun? It was a long time since she's had a sibling dynamic with someone. And, it wasn't ever like this though. She felt like she was running circles around them. Call it having a couple years on them and therefore more experience. Also, add a dash of not caring, and it made them even angrier at her.

"You didn't win!" Sanji and Zoro said simultaneously and then glared at each other.

"Enough!" Nami said, coming out of the lower decks with a new top on her. "Just bring what will fit. Let's go!"

"Yes, Nami-swan!"

"And Silas!"

What did she do?

"Here's your coat back," she said, tossing it to her. "Thank you."

"Forget about it."

"Dammit, Silas!" Sanji roared.

She had to hold back laughter, but she still shook with it as a closed mouth grin grew. He truly was his own worst enemy. It really wasn't  _ that _ hard to impress women. Just look at her, she was new to it, and she was doing great. Nami and Vivi liked her more than him. A fact she would use to piss him off when he came at her with hostility.

"Forget that, cook," Zoro said. "Silas didn't win, right, Usopp?"

"Don't make me choose. Just call it a draw."

"There are no draws in competition!"

"So I won then," she goaded playfully.

He looked as if he wished to strike her with one of his swords, but the ship was moving. And, Luffy was complaining:

"I want more meat!"

"Do you want to sink the ship?"

Suddenly, Dorry and Brogy stepped out on either side of the port at the edges of the island. Brogy picked up a flagpole with the Straw Hats jolly roger flying at the top and planted it in the ground. From this distance, she could truly appreciate just how giant they were. Even though the piece of the shoulder plate was huge, she couldn't imagine fitting the whole thing on the ship.

Silas waved and Brogy waved back. It made her smile. She wouldn't forget this kindness, and one day she'll go to Elbaf and hang out with some giants. She would hope she'd meet up with Brogy and Dorry again. Maybe, they'll get an eternal post as well, and they'll meet again some time. It would be cool if it was on Elbaf.

As they headed out, she noticed giant fish eyes emerging from the ocean. She blinked back at the overgrown goldfish as it opened its large maw for a mouth. And, the Merry was pulled forward by the pull of that wide, open mouth. Hmm, were they going to be swallowed by another sea creature? The fates are hilarious.

"Sanji-kun, turn the wheel!" Nami shouted.

"No!" Luffy shouted back. "We're going forward."

She couldn't help the smile that grew on her face slowly. Another adventure. She was ready for it. That didn't mean the others were Nami, Vivi, and Usopp didn't appreciate it. They were screaming and begging Luffy for permission to change course. He wouldn't budge, and even Sanji was looking a little nervous.

"Luffy, please," Nami said with dramatic tears in her eyes as she shook his arm.

"No," Luffy said, not budging.

"Give it a rest, Nami," Zoro said. "It's not happening."

The girl slumped down to the floor and whined dramatically about how she ended up with a crazy captain.

Silas turned to the fish as it grew closer. Excitement was thrumming through her veins at the idea of traveling through another sea animal. They were growing closer and closer as the gigantic goldfish's maw was growing wider and wider. They were funneling through quickly and picking up speed. She was ready for it.

Then, suddenly, a gust of wind threw them off course and into the air. Silas found herself laughing as she looked back to see that it was Brogy and Dorry who swung their blades to send their (by comparison) tiny ship flying through the air. Off they went, flying through the grand line, still laughing despite her cheeks being pulled back by the force of it.

Surprisingly, they landed pretty smoothly. She and the others only bounced a foot in the air before landing back onto their feet. It was only her and Luffy who laughed amusedly. Wow, how long has it been since she's had fun like this? Years, literally years. That's kind of sad, truly.

She wandered off to the kitchen, in the mood for soup. She bent down, getting the big pot in the drawer beneath the stove. Then, she got some spices randomly out of the rack, some vegetables and a random assortment of fish from the fridge, and broth, couscous and flour from the pantry. She didn't know what she was going to make. Recipes were more like a guideline to her. The real deliciousness came from the heart, what felt right. It was how she approached blacksmithing as well. She had to feel it otherwise, it wasn't right to her.

She went to pick up a cutting board, bending down to get it out of one of the lower cabinets. As she did so, she felt eyes on her. Hmm, who was being a pervert? At home, it would be her husband, and she would've been flattered because normally he wasn't so open about his desires and he was, well,  _ her husband _ . But on The Going Merry? There's only one real answer. Though, an argument could be made for Zoro if only for the curiosity of it all. Usopp wasn't the type, and Luffy didn't possess a sexuality given he was mentally and pleasantly stuck at about ten years old. So that left…

"Are you just admiring some booty like a true pirate, or do you want something from me?" she teased.

Immediately, she heard him sputter and cough on what she assumed was his cigarette. She laughed softly to herself as she placed the cutting board on the countertop. Then, she pulled out a large knife as Sanji continued to try and recover.

"As if I would look at your ugly— what kind of chopping is that?!"

She, by her own admission, was a bit of a butcher. When chopping whatever ingredient it was, she went all in. It was quick, hard chops all over the cutting board until she was satisfied. There really wasn't any finesse to it.

"The best kind," she said with a wide smirk as she dumped the hacked up ingredients into the pot. "And don't be embarrassed about liking a man's ass by the way. Everyone’s got an ass, so it doesn’t mean anything."

"I was not looking at your gross butt, you arrogant, degenorant, little—"

Her loud laughter cut him off. If she had to guess he was quite flush and deeply embarrassed right now. It kind of serves him right though. He was the one who took a gander! Why would he look if he claimed it was gross and ugly? Sometimes, when she rejected men, they would get mad and call her ugly even though they  _ just _ tried to get with her. It was a defensive mechanism to cover up the embarrassment of rejection. And, if he was feeling attraction, then that was a bad sign. Him getting a feeling that she’s a woman would blow her cover. She just hoped he would get a gay panic instead of thinking she’s a woman. It would blow her cover.

She heard him huff and puff before storming out of the kitchen. She still laughed as she waited for the pot to boil. She was running circles around them, and it felt almost unfair.

…

While they were eating dinner out in the open decks, she looked over towards Nami who collapsed. Odd, she looked flush and tired like she was having trouble catching her breath. That's bizarre. The smile left Silas as she looked at the teen girl quizzically. She stepped over, sat down next to her, and placed her elbows on top of her raised knees.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I just need a little rest," she said.

She was nodding off as she tried to hand either Vivi or Silas the log post. Silas looked at the other, and after a moment Vivi took the log post set for Alabasta. Without hesitation or permission, Silas gently touched Nami's forehead with the back of her hand. She heard a soft, weak protest, but Silas didn't care. Their navigator felt very warm, and it didn't surprise her that the poor girl fell over to the side in an uneasy sleep. It did concern Silas and Vivi though.

"Nami-san!" Vivi exclaimed.

"Her forehead is hot," Silas said. “I think she has a fever.”

She picked up the other girl giving her a piggyback ride. The poor navigator wasn't helping much with holding on due to her being out cold, but Silas didn't mind carrying her. Though she's taller than her, Nami probably weighed less. Muscles weighed more, and Silas worked hard for her muscles.

"Where's the girl's room?"

"You bastard, why are you holding—" Sanji began angrily, and then he sobered up when he finally saw the poor girl hanging out on Silas's back. "Nami-san, what's wrong?"

"It's down the hall," Vivi said, ignoring the cook, clearly trying not to freak out as she quickly walked down to show Silas where.

They managed to get her to the bed in the girl's room. Silas began to ring out a cold wet rag to drape it across the poor navigator's forehead. It was clear it was getting worse. It reminded her of either pneumonia or the flu. Both of which require antibiotics which no one had on the ship, and besides she didn't even know if that was the diagnosis. Her bootleg medical knowledge wasn’t helping. Damn, they needed a doctor and medical supplies. Nami wasn't doing well.

"Is Nami-san going to die?" Sanji shouted, blubbering dramatically. "Tell me Vivi-chan, Silas, anyone!"

"I don't think so, but she needs medical attention as soon as possible," Silas said. "Unless some of you have some antibiotics on you?"

No one said anything, and she thought so.

"How long does it take to get to Alabasta, Vivi-chan?" Usopp asked.

"I don't know. It'll probably take longer than a week," she said, downcast.

Feeling badly and without thinking, she held Vivi's shoulder and squeezed gently. Oops, maybe they weren’t close enough for that. She couldn't help it though. Her compulsory compassion couldn't leave a crying friend unattended like that. Vivi didn't react except to sniffle in her own hands though.

"What's wrong with a week?" Luffy asked dumbfoundedly.

Everyone blanched.

"Do you not understand that you can't have a 102 degree fever for a week?" Usopp asked incredulously.

"Are you really Nami-san's friend?" Vivi shouted incredulously.

Silas turned to Luffy, Usopp, and Sanji and said plainly, "A 102 degree fever is serious. If we don't bring it down and get her treatment, Nami will die."

Finally, it dawned on the dumb-dumbs because they began to freak out instead of just stand there unaware. She shook her head incredulously with a wry smile.

"Quiet!" Vivi told them. "You're not helping Nami-san by yelling! We need to find her a doctor!"

There was a soft cough behind them. They turned and faced Nami who was sitting up slowly with the damp rag in her hand. She was still flush and sweaty, but she was trying to stay awake and focused.

"I don't think that's going to work," Nami said. "Vivi, look into my desk drawer at the latest newspaper."

Everyone waited as Vivi went to go get the newspaper. Silas looked at Nami, unable to hide her concern, as Luffy shouted naively that their navigator was cured to which Usopp shot down.

Vivi came back clearly upset as she said, "How could this happen?! 300,000 royal guards switched to the rebel army! How could they do this? Now, there's more rebels than the royal army."

"A civil war is going to start soon," Nami said. "It came out three days ago. I didn't show you because I didn't want to worry you, but I guess I couldn't avoid that."

Then, she started to get out of bed and handed Vivi her damp rag. It was a little odd as they watched their navigator find her feet again. She really was a stubborn girl. Silas could respect that, but the fever wasn't a joke.

"I don't need a doctor. Let's get to Alabasta as fast as we can," Nami declared, heading out of the girl's room.

"Are you sure you don't want some soup?" Silas asked. "I always made my hus– house mate soup when he was sick."

Damn, she was slipping as of late. It was because she was getting comfortable with the Straw Hats. They were growing on her. She had trouble fitting in normally, but it felt like she was another misfit in the group of misfits. They were fun. However, they were still pirates, and they wouldn't appreciate knowing she was a marine's wife. They would feel betrayed, and she wouldn't blame them. Not yet, not yet.

"No, I'm totally fine," Nami said, brushing it off.

When she left, Silas looked over to Vivi who was still upset. She could tell the poor princess was going through it, pulled between her people and the wellness of Nami. Silas had never been or felt responsible for preventing a civil war, but she could understand wanting to help a large body of people. Being a humanitarian wasn't lost on her, especially in this world where it's sorely needed.

"I don't know what to do. If I can't stop Crocodile, then Alabasta will be conquered. I worry about Nami-san, but if I don't get to Alabasta then a million of my people will die."

"A million people?" Luffy said incredulously.

"You have a tough burden, Vivi-chan," Sanji said.

She patted Vivi on her shoulder before standing to leave. Everyone else left the cabin, so she followed behind, deciding that Vivi might need some time alone with her thoughts.

She closed the door behind her gently and went to the open deck. She plopped onto the rail with her legs crossed, slouching with her head between her hands. She could see all the Straw Hats present. Her eyes were mostly on Nami as everyone tried to convince her to rest and detour to see a doctor. Of course, Nami wasn't having it. She was set on Alabasta, willing to downplay her high fever and her own personal needs. Despite the coarseness, especially towards men whomst Silas believed Nami didn't respect and saw as means of exploitation and manipulation, the navigator was capable of selflessness. She understood what Alabasta meant to poor Vivi and the lives at stake. But what Nami didn't realize was that they couldn't be a crew without her not only because she's their friend, but she's also the crew's navigator. They literally can't go anywhere without her.

"Nami-san, please rest,” Sanji said.

"No, I'm fine!"

"Please, we're all worried,” Usopp said.

"No, we need to get to Alabasta, so stop worrying!"

Suddenly, Vivi emerged from the door. She had a determined look on her face as she addressed everyone. Silas wondered what her decision would be. She would be the one to convince Nami to go see a doctor since it was Vivi whomst Nami was trying to be selfless for. Silas hoped the princess would make the right decision.

"Alabasta is getting worse by the minute. We need to get there as soon as possible. That's why we need to find Nami-san a doctor quickly."

A smile grew on Silas's face, and she felt a similar energy from everyone else as well. She didn't think Vivi would be cold hearted especially since the two had bonded due to them being the only openly female members of the crew. Silas looked over to Nami who seemed to concede.

"Alright," the navigator said. "I think I need to lie down."

Well, they were going to make a detour. This was for the best. Things were going well, right?

"Wh-what is that?" Usopp said, terrified.

"A cyclone. We're probably going to die," Silas answered simply.

"Show a little fear, you weirdo!" Usopp exclaimed.

Silas merely laughed softly to herself.


End file.
